Recognition
by TayBee
Summary: When Edward and Bella run into an old friend, things quickly become complicated. Can Bella keep her friend safe from the big bad secret? Can she keep her safe from something even more threatening? POST BD. I'm NOT SM.
1. Spotted

I think that the best work an author can do must be work that they have changed constantly. I would always come back a read this story, it was my favorite, and all I could see was the flaws in it.  
So, I have rewritten every chapter. Some hold minor changes, some hold major. The most editing was done in the last five chapters.  
When I was reading them, I realized how eager I must have been to publish them, and I didn't really make sure they were perfect before publishing. I have gone back to those chapters and rewritten a lot of the plot. The same end result occurs, but I come about it in a slightly different way.

I have also added a question and answer to the end.  
Reread if you like!  
Enjoy!

Love Ya'll,  
TayBee

* * *

Recognition

* * *

It took a lot of sneaking around to go to the mall without Alice finding out, but Renesmee really needed new clothes. Edward and I wanted so much to be like normal parents, and go out to buy our baby's clothes as husband and wife. I wanted to go to the mall, hold hands with Edward, and push a stroller as we drifted from store to store.

Edward caught onto this, and refused to let me miss out on the experience. So we talked to Jacob, he could block Alice's visions of the mall. He was going to go to the mall the same time we would (Billy needed a new jacket) and Edward, Renesmee and I would get to shop. Of course, with Renesmee with us, we didn't really need Jacob, but Edward said that Alice got a few visions of Renesmee, and he didn't want to risk it.

While Jasper took Alice and Emmett out hunting, Edward and I buckled Renesmee into her car seat and took off for Seattle. The residents of Forks, Washington thought that Edward and I were attending Dartmouth this semester, and we wanted to keep up the façade. We arrived within an hour. Renesmee had chattered the whole way about various things. Airplanes, where trees came from, are we there yet, and the like. We proudly put Renesmee into her stroller; one Alice bought for oodles of money, and walked through the doors of the mall.

We lingered in Baby Gap, holding up shirt after shirt for Renesmee. She giggled and squealed at certain ones. She was under direct orders not to speak. After spending about an hour going from store to store, we started drifting aimlessly around the halls. I was walking past some chain-clothing store when I saw a friendly face I recognized.

Edward looked to me to see why I had stopped walking and traced my line of sight when he saw me staring.  
"Bella, don't-" I heard Edward say before I took off into the store at a barely human pace.

"Angela! Ben!" I yelled while I ran. Edward followed quickly behind me with Renesmee fully alert in her stroller. He grabbed my arm.

"Bella, we need to go." Edward said at the same time Angela and Ben turned their heads to look at us.

"Bella?" Angela called, squinting. "Bella is that you?"

I laughed and nodded excitedly. I ran to hug her. I stopped myself before I let my deadly arms wrap around her. I halted awkwardly and smiled instead. "Of course it's me silly! How have the two of you been?"

"Oh! Goodness Bella! I'm so sorry! You just- look... so different." Angela said. She seemed like she didn't recognize me at all. "Your hair! It looks so different! And your eyes! They aren't brown anymore! Are you wearing contacts?" I hadn't realized that I wasn't wearing my brown contacts, or that they had faded away. My eyes very much showed a mix between red and gold. I gasped and looked away. "You've grown too!" Angela continued, commenting on my new, shapely body.

"Bella?" Ben spoke for the first time. "I thought you two were at Dartmouth?" He questioned.

"Why are you and Edward here? And who is this?" He asked, pointing to Renesmee.

I looked to Edward, my eyes wide. What was I supposed to say? Edward finally spoke up.

"We had to come home from college. My aunt and uncle died and we had to come home to take their daughter, my niece, Renesmee. We adopted her." Edward recovered for us.

"Oh my! That is so sweet of you! It must be very difficult! Renesmee is lucky to have you!" Angela said. She always was so sweet, but something seemed off. She kept looking at me, holding my eye contact. She never broke away, I did. She would tilt her head and squint her eyes at me, then smile shyly.

"Bella, it has been so long since I saw you. Can you break away from Edward and Renesmee for a little and just hang with me?" Angela asked enthusiastically.

I was thrilled that Angela still wanted to be my friend, but I was worried that she would ask to many questions. She was very observant. She saw my hesitance and spoke up.

"Please, Bella? I have missed you so very much." Angela pleaded.

"Oh, alright." I said, sounding sarcastic. Edward raised an eyebrow at me. I expanded my shield so Edward could read my mind. It took quite a bit of work still, but I was finally starting to get the hang of it. However, whenever I got upset or nervous, my shield popped up to protect everyone around me, much to Edward's dismay.

_I just want to spend some time with the only real friend I had in high school, _I thought.

Edward smiled, nodded, and spoke. "Go ahead, love. Ben can come with Renesmee and me while I shop for some presents for Valentines Day. I'm sure Ben wants to look, too." He winked at me. Angela blushed at the thought of Ben shopping for her gift.

_Not too much, please, _I thought again. Edward just smirked. The boys and my baby left the store.

Angela grabbed my hand to pull me out of the store. She gasped and dropped my hand. I knew it was because of the temperature change.

"Bella," Angela whispered once we were out of the store, "you have some serious explaining to do. I have so many questions."

I grimaced. "What do you mean, Angela?"

"Well for starters, when I look at Renesmee, I don't see Edward's niece. I see Edward's hair, and your eyes - well, your _old _eyes, I guess. I see some one related to _you. _I see _your daughter._"


	2. Shockwave

"Bella, anyone could tell it by the way you look at her. And she looks so much like you and Edward. It's painfully obvious." Angela continued speaking. I hadn't said a word since she told me that she knew Renesmee was of my own blood.

"You're not speaking. So I guess I will tell you what is going through my head. Here's all I can come up with. Renesmee looks about six months old. Maybe eight. That means you must have been pregnant senior year. But you never showed! I mean, I know that some women don't get big, but you didn't grow an inch! You did wear all those baggy sweaters... maybe you covered up. That must have been why you were so devastated when Edward moved. Did he know that you were pregnant when he left, Bella? Did you know?"

Again, I avoided Angela's questions, but I did speak. "Please, continue your theory."

Angela looked at me with anger, but continued.

"Well, then Edward came back; he and his whole family came back. In fact, they all came back _with you _right after you disappeared for three days. I don't think Edward would have left if he had known you were pregnant. I think he came back when you gave birth; when he found out; when you were gone for three days.

I think three days is how long it takes to recover from childbirth. That is how long my mom was out, after the twins. You must have called Edward when you were in labor or something, told him everything, and he and his family came home.

But he didn't marry you because of Renesmee. He loved you, _that's_ why you got married. Why wasn't Renesmee at the wedding?"

Angela's thoughts were jumbled. I had not given her near enough credit. She had a whole theory. A very well thought out theory.

I had to think quickly. I remembered a movie that I had seen as a young child. It was about a man who grew extremely quickly. The pregnancy had been very quick, and he looked like a 20 year old at age 10.

"Renesmee is not a normal baby." was all I said. Maybe Angela would leave it at that.

"So is my theory right? Did Edward make his family move back when he found out about his daughter?"

"No. Edward made his family come back when we both became suicidal." Not a total lie, but Angela still gasped. I continued, my expression saddened just by remembering the past. "Edward and I knew that we could never live apart again. We got married, and on our honeymoon, I got pregnant. We waited until we were married."

"But, you and Edward have only been married for a few months. Renesmee looks at least six months old."

"She is only two months old. Like I said, she is not a normal baby. She grows very quickly. I was only pregnant for a few months. She has, um, a disorder, with... hormones, I think. I don't really know the logistics of it." I claimed. Not all of it was a lie, she was not normal, and she did grow very quickly.

"Oh, my. But why did you keep it a secret? Why not tell me? I thought you were dying!"

I grimaced when I realized that indeed the whole town thought I was dying from some strange foreign disease that I got on out honeymoon. Angela must have been so worried.

"I was pretty close. The pregnancy was very tough on me." Also not a lie. "And the reason we didn't tell anyone is because I looked seven months pregnant when in reality I was only seven weeks along. People would have come up with terrible rumors. That I got pregnant, and that is why Edward came back. I imagine people would believe I forced him into marriage, when really, I was the one dreading it." I smiled at the memory.

"People wouldn't have understood. And I was too sick to deal with the stress." I finished my story. A complete fabrication.

"Oh, Bella. I had no idea." Angela grabbed me into a small hug. Again, she gasped at my temperature.

"Why are you so cold? And why have your eyes changed colors? And your hair looks longer? And maybe it had a different tint to it? And your body! It has curved so much! What happened?!"

"I guess it was all a result of the pregnancy." I said. "I was very hard on me."

This was completely true. Because I was pregnant, Edward had to change me. Everything Angela listed was a direct result of that.

"Wow. You are such a good soul, Bella. You almost lost your life to keep your daughters."

"I would have done anything for her." I stated honestly.

"Can I come home with you?" Angela asked quickly. "I really want to see Alice again, and I would love to see the rest of your family."

I couldn't deny her. She had been so sweet to me, and I had just left her to take me for dead. I had been a terrible friend.

"I would love that, Angela. You can come home with us. Is Ben okay driving home?"

"He will be fine. He just texted me. He says he has to get my present home without me seeing it." Angela blushed.

"Well then all we have to do is find Edward and Renesmee." I said, although I could smell them a few stores down.

"Can't you call him?" Angela asked.

"We left our phones at home. If Alice found out where we were without her, she never would have left us alone."

Angela laughed. "That's probably true."

I found Edward soon, and let him read my thoughts.

_She deserves to come home with us. She really misses Alice, too. I have been such a terrible friend to her, and I want to have some more time with her before we move._

Edward smiled and nodded.

_Just keep a close look on her thoughts. Concentrate on her. I think she is really suspicious of us._

Edward nodded again. Angela didn't notice. As we were walking to the car, Edward whispered quietly. "She is."

We arrived home about an hour later. We walked into the house, Angela standing next to me, and I called out, for appearance. "We're home!"

Alice came bursting through the door. "No! Bella! You didn't have your phones! I tried to call you! I couldn't find you!" She breathed out quietly.

"What's wrong, Alice!?" I asked, frightened.

"Angela" was all Alice said before I saw Aro walk into the main foyer. He spoke.

"Ah Bella, so nice to see you again. We thought it was an appropriate time for baby's first check up". Aro spoke. His eyes fell on Angela. He tilted his head, and sniffed. He knew she was human.

"And who is this?"


	3. Speak

Aro would not touch Angela.

I wouldn't let him.

He could not be allowed to read Angela's thoughts. Angela was already suspicious of us. All Aro needed was one wandering thought from Angela and he would force us to turn her, or kill her. He couldn't read Edward's thoughts, either, because Edward knew what Angela was thinking, so I quickly expanded my shield around the two of them. Aro would never know what they were thinking.

I knew I had to speak soon. Angela had to be identified, before Aro assumed the wrong thing, and acted.

"This is my old friend Angela. I haven't seen her since the wedding, so she came over for a quick visit." I told Aro. The ancient vampire nodded, a sick smile gracing his face.

"So nice to meet you, Angela." He said sweetly.  
And then Angela stuck out her hand, waiting for Aro to shake it.

"Nice to meet you, sir." Said Angela, always polite.

Aro took her hand with little hesitation. He held her hand for longer than the norm.

He looked at me when he spoke.

"I find it very _interesting _to meet you, Angela." Aro spoke. "She reminds me so much of you, Bella."

Angela laughed nervously. "How do I remind you of Bella? We look nothing alike." Angela said, still holding Aro's hand.

"I find you two have very similar handshakes." He said in a low, deadly tone. Angela quickly removed her hand and tucked it behind her, sensing his change in mood.

He was upset that he couldn't read her mind. He knew I was covering it, and he was telling me to take down my shield.

"Angela must have a firm grip." I replied, monotone.

"Hmm" was Aro's only response.

"You came to check on Renesmee?" I asked, eager to get his deep red eyes off of Angela.

"Yes. I just wanted to see her. We are practically family. I can see that she is healthy and happy." Aro said, finally removing his searching eyes from Angela to look at Renesmee, who was still nestled in Edward's arms. She didn't speak.

Angela broke the scilence. "Do you see a lot of children like Renesmee? Bella told me about how quickly she grows."

My stomach dropped to the floor. That was definitely a bad thing to say. It made Angela look like she knew all about Renesmee.

"No. Renesmee is a very rare occurrence. Do you know much about Renesmee's condition?"

Aro looked to me. He started me down while he still spoke.

"It seems that Bella and Edward have a hard time keeping their secrets long."

My breathing stopped.

EPOV

I had been so stupid. I focused so much on Angela's mind when we walked into the house that I didn't even realize that Aro had invaded my family's home.

I had not spoken once since our entry. I was afraid if I opened my mouth that I would only growl. When we walked into the home, Angela's mind quickly disappeared from me. Bella had put up her shield. Several moments later, I could read her again, which meant Bella was protecting my mind, too.

_He is like them._

I swallowed unnecessarily. She knew we were not normal. She had always known, in a sense. Her basic nature told her to avoid us. However, seeing the drastic changes in Bella today at the mall brought all those thoughts to the surface.

_What _are _they? This Aro frightens them, like he is powerful. I suppose I should be scared, too._

"It seems that Bella and Edward have a hard time keeping their secrets long." Aro spoke. He turned to look at me.

_You just love to tell the ladies what you are, don't you, young Edward. _Aro thought to me.

"She doesn't know anything." I replied sharply, curtly.

I heard Carlisle think from the other room.

_Careful, Edward, the others are not far away._

Angela looked to me. _What does he mean by that? What don't I know? What _are _they?_

I noticed that Angela was now directly behind Bella. Whether Bella had stepped in front of Angela to protect her, or Angela stepped behind Bella in fear I did not know.

BPOV

Angela stepped behind me as soon as Edward spoke. She seemed to realize unconsciously that she was in danger. I was the one she trusted to protect her.

I looked to Edward.

_Distract him. Let him check Renesmee over. I need to get Angela out of here. I love you._

I somehow managed to lift the shield from my own mind while still keeping Angela's mind covered.

Edward moved forward with Renesmee on his hip.

"Aro, would you like to look at Renesmee? We haven't weighed her yet today. Perhaps you would like to see it?"

Aro looked suspicious. He looked at me, and then at Angela. Fortune was with us. He nodded, and followed Edward upstairs to Carlisle's study.

I grabbed Angela's hand and yanked her toward the front door. I opened the front door to Edward's Volvo and quickly shoved her in. I was around to the other side of the car in seconds. There really was no need to keep up human appearances anymore; Angela knew we were not the same.

But I must have overloaded her.

"_What are you?" _Angela asked, with fear in her voice.

"I'm the good guy." Was my simple response. That was all she needed to know. "I'm here to keep you safe."

I was already speeding down the highway. Angela didn't seem to realize that we had left until this point.

"Where are we going?" Angela asked, as a small tear leaked through her eye. I had never seen Angela cry.

"We are going back to Seattle." She should be safer there. More people; more witnesses.

I was about to take the exit ramp, the one right before the exit to the airport, when the small silver phone I grabbed on the way out vibrated.

A small message appeared on the screen saying I had received a text message from Alice.

_Seattle won't work. Try something bigger. Don't plan it. Delete this._

I skipped the exit and took the one to the airport instead. Angela spun to look at me from her seat. She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.

"Change in plans" I said. "Don't panic."

Angela sat in silence. She just stared ahead.

We boarded a flight to New York City just 20 minutes later, no baggage, no trail.


	4. Secrets

Angela had been so brave. She cried the whole flight, but no sound exited her lips. The tears just slid down her face. I felt awful, I had done this to her. I didn't speak though. I just held her hand, the temperature change forgotten. She clung to it tightly, as if I was going to disappear.

The five-hour flight gave me plenty of time to think. I would have to get cash from an ATM before we got to New York. I couldn't leave a credit trail. I couldn't call home right now, in case Aro was still there, he could read a mind that knew my whereabouts. I wondered what Alice meant by "Seattle won't work." Were we being followed? I quickly looked over my shoulder at the rest of the plane. We sat in first class, allowing me to see every one behind me. Would Angela have been harmed in Seattle? Who was at our home? I knew enough about the Volturi that Aro would not have come alone. Would Charlie be safe in Forks? He knew much more than Angela did.

The first flight was to Cincinnati. The airport was empty. Our red eye flight to LeGuardia Airport in New York City started boarding in 15 minutes. I found the name ironic. I was running with Angela, guarding her, taking her to LeGuardia, because it was a smaller Airport, safer, somehow. I decided I did not want the next two-hour flight to be silent, like the first. I broke the silence.

"Angela". She jumped at her name, and turned her tear-streaked face to me. "You will be safe again. I promise you that. I would die before I let anything happen to you."

"Why do you keep saying that?!? Will I ever see my family again? The twins? My parents? _Ben?_ They must be worried sick! I need to call them." Angela became hysterical.

I quickly wrapped my arms around her. "You can't call them, Angela. Not right now. You will see your family again. I promise. And I can tell you that I am sure Alice has taken care of your family. She wouldn't let them worry."

Angela took a deep breath, and wiped her eyes. "Bella, I need you to be honest with me. _Why _am I in danger? I have a right to know."

Angela was right. I had been in this position three years ago, running from a vampire. But unlike Angela, I knew exactly what I was running from. Angela just knew she was in danger. She must have been even more horrified then I was.

"This is not the time or place for that. Maybe later, in a warm hotel, once you have eaten something." I said. I knew that I couldn't tell her our secret. Especially now that the Volturi were convinced that she already knew about us, but she was justified and explanation.

"No, Bella. I want answers now. You don't have to tell me everything, but I'd like to asak some questions." I had never seen her behaving so boldly.

"Of course, Angela. Ask away."

"What are you?" she demanded.  
"Next." I replied.  
She looked at me, chagrined, but moved on.

"Who was that man? Why are you scared of him?"

That was a hard one. "His name is Aro. He leads our royal family of sorts." I quoted Edward from all those years ago. My heart ached when I thought of him. He must be worried sick. Left at home with his daughter while his wife flees around the country. I hoped Renesmee was okay, that Aro didn't scare her.

Angela noticed my pause. "I assume he wasn't a doctor."

I laughed humorlessly. "No. He is not a doctor. He is more like, our ruler. Not quite a dictator, but someone we need to fear. He is not alone. They have a - royal court- I guess you could call it. They are very well trained."

"Trained to..." Angela trailed off.

"Punish." I responded. Angela shivered.

"Have you done anything wrong? Why would they want to punish you?"

I thought about it. "No. We haven't done anything wrong, but it could seem like it to them. My family is extremely social for our kind, and it makes Aro think we are not safe enough. He is afraid we will expose our kind."

"So your _kind_- you are secret? Do many people know about you?" Angela asked.

"We have to keep secret. And no, not many people know about us. That is why you are in danger. Your kind are not supposed to know anything about us. You are not supposed to know I exist. Aro thinks you know more than you do."

"Is there a lot that I don't know?" Angela whispered this question.

"Yes." My reply was short.

"Bella, are you- well, are you telling me that you are not _human?_"

"I was human. I was when I moved to Forks, for all of high school, for my wedding, for my honeymoon. I was human for my pregnancy"

"And now?" Angela was breathless. Her words were barely audible.

"No. Not anymore." I replied just as quietly.

Angela gasped.

"Please, don't be afraid. I am here to protect you. I am the good guy." I begged her.

"I trust you. You are still the same Bella, right?"

I smiled weakly. "Yes, I am. I just have a new last name."

We were called to board the plane, and Angela quickly fell asleep on my cold shoulder for the two-hour red eye flight to New York City. We arrived in New York around six in the morning, but it was only three in the morning back in Forks.

People were starting to arrive for their flights, so we had lots of cover. I ushered a yawning Angela out of the airport, glad we didn't have to stop for luggage.

I had no trouble hailing a cab, several male drivers offered to take me anywhere free. I quickly set Angela in the back seat of a car and told the driver to take us to the nicest hotel in Time Square. Angela fell asleep again during the forty-minute car ride. The driver pulled up to a hotel so tall that I couldn't see the sun rising directly behind it. I picked up Angela and carried her inside. I am sure that it looked a bit strange. Angela woke up when the bellhop wished us a good morning. She made me put her down and we walked to the front desk together. I began speaking to the man at the front desk.

"I need the nicest room you have available." I spoke, softly.

"Ma'am, check in is not until three pm." the attendant spoke. I snorted. That was when I noticed the sign behind him. The logo was one I recognized. That was good. Our family owned a considerable amount of the companies stock.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I should introduce myself." I said, regaining the man's attention. I placed my ID on the counter. "I'm Isabella Cullen, and I need the nicest room you have available. Now, please." The man looked at me in awe.

"Oh!" I said, pulling a wad of bills from the bag I carried, "And I can pay in cash up front."

We had been in the presidential suite for a few hours when Angela padded out of the master suite. I had taken her to the room and laid in the bed with her while she dozed off. She wouldn't let me leave the room, she needed the comfort.

"Why haven't you slept?" Angela asked.

I couldn't over bear her more. "I did. I slept on the flight, and in the taxi, and in the master suite. I woke up just a little bit ago."

"No you didn't. You talk in your sleep, you would have woken me." Angela replied.

I sighed. "My kind don't sleep."

Angela nodded. "Oh."

"That doesn't scare you?" I asked, shocked. I remember how I reacted to that news.

"I think I am too exhausted to comprehend things right now. When can we go home? I want to see my family again. I want to see Ben again."

"Angela, I don't know. It could be days, or even months. It just depends on how big a fight this turns out to be."

"Oh, God." Angela clutched her stomach and ran to the bathroom. I ran after her and held her hair back while she vomited.

"Oh, Angela, are you okay?" I asked, extremely concerned.

"No, Bella, I'm not." Angela said after wiping her mouth. "I'm on the other side of the country, separated from the love of my life, and I don't even know why I am here. I am scared out of my mind, and apparently running for my life. And to top it off, you don't even know that I'm pregnant."

"What?" I asked, shocked.

"That is why I was so happy to see you. Was it yesterday?"

I nodded.

"Ben and I just found out last week, and when I saw you and Edward, so happy, with a daughter, my heart swelled. It's why I wanted to go home with you. I was going to tell you and Alice. But truth be told, I didn't even think about it until we got on the plane to Cincinnati."

"Oh, Angela. Do your parents know?" It was all I could think to ask.

"No. Not yet. But they will be happy for Ben and I, I know it. They got pregnant with me before they got married, you know."

"I didn't know that. Are you and Ben going to get married?"

A great smile broke across Angela's face as she wiggled the small silver band I hadn't noticed in front of my face.

"He actually proposed a few days after your wedding. He said that what he saw between the two of you was so beautiful that the wanted it with me. I said yes, of course. I am such a sucker for him. That was our, -um, first night, together. Ironic isn't it? We thought we were being careful."

"How far along are you?" I asked.

"About six weeks. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, but I doubt I will make it, now, huh." Angela leaned back over the toilet bowl again and heaved for a few moments.

"I hated the morning sickness. It was one of the worst parts." I tried to comfort her. I probably didn't need to tell her about the broken ribs or bruised pelvis.

"Bella, you said that you were human throughout your pregnancy."

"Yes. I was." I replied.

"Was Edward? Was he human during you wedding?"

"No. Edward was not even a human when he moved to Forks."

"So what does that make Renesmee? Is she human?"

"She is half."

"You love her a lot." Angela stated. She smiled weakly.

"I do. Edward was not supposed to be able to have children, so I was elated when I found out. Renesmee is a blessing. A miracle."

"Was Edward excited when he found out?" Angela asked. I could tell she was not really asking about the human versus non-human aspect. She was asking because her and Ben were also young and expecting.

"No. Not at first. He was afraid that Renesmee would kill me. Like I said, the pregnancy almost killed me. Edward blamed himself relentlessly. Even now, when he can hold both of us safe in his arms, I feel like he blames himself for putting me in danger. Was Ben excited?" I looked to Angela. She smiled and put her hands over her stomach. When I concentrated, I realized I could hear a second heartbeat.

"He was very excited. He started making all of these plans for us. He is looking at homes and apartments, and he was planning on calling Carlisle next week. Do you think we could call for a toothbrush and toothpaste? My mouth tastes awful."

"Of course." I giggled, and ran to the phone to call the front desk, but a knock on the door made both Angela and I jump.

I slowly opened the door. I sighed a deep breath of relief.

"Rosalie! Esme!"

"We brought you all sorts of supplies, dear, here is a set of bathroom stuff for Angela, and a clean set of clothes. Take it to her." Esme said, handing me a small bag.

"Thanks" I murmured, and went off to help Angela.

Not only did I have to protect Angela's life, but her unborn baby's, too.


	5. Situate

"I assume you have a few questions." Esme said as soon as I left Angela in the bathroom with the bath filled with warm water and bubbles, plus toothpaste on the new toothbrush. She had spent a majority of her morning over the toilet bowl.

"Yes, I do. How did you get away from Aro? Did he follow you?" I asked quickly.

Rosalie spoke up. "Aro left our home. He said all he had to do was check on Renesmee. Edward is home with her now, pacing holes in the floor."

"Edward." I whispered, closing my eyes. I missed him terribly.

"He will be fine, dear. We caught a direct flight here, but we couldn't all come, Jane and Alec are still watching the house. Alec stepped a bit too close once and Edward could hear his thoughts. Aro has instructed them to find Angela, and report to him with details." Esme said. "Obviously, they know Angela is with you, so Edward couldn't come. He would be the first one they follow."

"Did you get followed!? Do they know where Angela is?" I asked, almost in hysterics.

Rosalie was upset by this. "How stupid do you think we are, Bella? Of course we weren't followed. Esme and I took the Mercedes as soon as the sun came out. Jane and Alec were trapped in the forest."

"Now Rose, calm down. The last thing we need right now is getting our tempers up. Well, let's lay out everything that we bought for her, we knew you didn't have any luggage, so we stopped at a grocery store and little clothing boutique on the way here." Esme always was so thoughtful and caring.

Rosalie brought over the many plastic bags and clothing bags that they brought with them. She began pulling out various items. Lunchables, deoderant, lotion, comfy t-shirts and sweats, jeans, shoes, underwear, and the like. I laughed humorlessly when I pulled out a box of tampons.

"Obviously Alice hasn't been watching her future _too_ closely. She will figure it out soon enough, I guess." I said.

"What do you mean, Bella?" Esme asked while tilting her head.

"Angela is six weeks pregnant." I sighed.

"Oh, my. Does Ben know?" She responded.

I had my hand over my eyes, so I just nodded.

"We have to keep her safe." Rosalie growled. Rosalie was always one to protect human life. Especially now that she knew an unborn human baby was at risk.

"Her first doctor's appointment was supposed to be tomorrow, well, today - I guess."

"Well, we can find a doctor here to take a look at her." Esme said. "I am sure Carlisle knows someone in the area."

"Where is Carlisle? Where is Alice? Jasper? Emmett? Jacob?"

"Alice and Jasper are at your cottage. They are staying inside, lighting fires, running water, basically, making it look like Angela might be there with you. Jane keeps circling, but of course, she isn't getting close enough to be noticed, so she can't smell Alice and Jasper. Alec is more difficult. We can't get to close to him without your power." Esme explained. I felt even guiltier for not being there.

"Carlisle is going to the hospital, like normal, we have to act like we don't know they are there. Emmett and Jacob are tearing through the forest, making pathways difficult to travel. They make it look like a game."

"Can I call Edward? Is it safe?" I asked eagerly. I desperately needed to hear his beautiful voice.

"He will call when he knows Jane and Alec are far enough away. Calm down, Bella. He will be ok. Jane and Alec wouldn't move on us. They are under strict orders." Esme spoke softly.

I took a deep breath, thinking it over. "Yes, but I have a feeling Jane would be all to eager to hurt us. Even against Aro's orders. I am sure she thinks that if she hurts someone, I will come running to stop her. I can't. I won't leave Angela without me."

Esme and Rosalie just nodded.

"What about Angela's parents? Ben? Where do they think she is?" This is what Angela was the most worried about.

"Well, to Mr. and Mrs. Weber, Angela is still at school, in Seattle. She never left her routine. To Ben, Angela is on a shopping trip with us."

"He won't believe that when Angela doesn't meet him at the doctor's office today." Rosalie interjected.

As if on cue, a cell phone started ringing. I found the source inside Angela's jacket. "Ben" lit up on the screen.

I answered it. Angela was just stepping into her bath from the sounds of it.

"Hey, Ben."

"Bella? Um, hey. Is Angela around? We um- have a movie we wanted to catch. It starts in a few hours."

"It's okay, Ben, I know all about the baby and the doctor's appointment. Congratulations, by the way. Anyway, Angela is having a killer wave of morning sickness, and she won't be able to make it to her appointment. Could you call and cancel it for me?"

"I am going to come over. She shouldn't go through that alone, well- I mean, without me." Ben said with concern.

"No, Ben. Don't worry about it. She is finally calming down, and it would take you an hour to get here anyway. She is going to reschedule her appointment later. Until then, Carlisle will take care of her." I said. Ben thought that Angela was at my house. That was okay for now. He didn't have to worry just yet.

"Well, okay, but if Angela needs me, at all, I will be over as quick as I can. Tell her I love her."

"Of course. See you later Ben." I knew he would be a great father. He was ready.

"Bye Bella." Ben said before disconnecting. I snapped shut the phone and tossed it back on the couch.

"That should take care of Ben for today at least. He is not going to go long without seeing her, though." I said in a defeated tone.

"You did a good job." Esme said while patting my shoulder. She was comforting me, when I was the last one that needed it.

"What did Alice mean when she said that Seattle wouldn't work? Why did we come to New York?" I asked.

Esme looked to Rose, warning her with her eyes. Rosalie spoke anyway. "Alice had a vision. She said she saw Aro heading to Seattle to catch a flight back to Italy. He ran there, and ran past the dorms on the way. He would have found Angela after she ran into a bush to throw up while you were walking her to her dorm. Alice thought she was throwing up because she was scared. Anyway, he would have decided he was hungry, and instead of waiting for his next meal to come to him in Italy, he decided to try a little hunting himself."

I gulped. I had been one exit away from letting Angela die.

Rosalie continued her speech. "Of course- Aro would have claimed it coincidence if he killed Angela, he wouldn't kill her on purpose without evidence against her. It just would have been too easy to get rid of a possible threat."

"I have gotten her into such a mess." I admitted.

"We shouldn't associate with humans, but we can not let Aro get her, especially since she is pregnant." Rose said. She was definitely angry with me. I took her away from her Emmett.

Esme spoke. "We would protect her anyway. She is a friend of Bella's. She was there for her when we weren't."

I shivered at the unpleasant memories.

We were interrupted by the bathroom door opening, and Angela shuffling out to the small living room in the suite. She sat on the couch and absentmindedly rubbed her stomach. The three of us just stared at her.

"I think it's time you guys tell me what you are." She said, determined.


	6. Scrutiny

Angela would not give this up. She had that look on her face, and raging pregnancy hormones to back her up. "I have a right to know." She said, crossing her arms across her chest. "Ouch." She whispered and quickly moved her hands. She rubbed her tender chest. "Pregnancy has way more symptoms than I thought." Angela said.

"You should have seen Bella." Rosalie stated.

I gave Rose a quick glare. I didn't think Angela would want to hear all the details of my pregnancy.

"Angela," I started, "you don't know what you are asking. Let me put it this way. The man that is after us, he wants you because he thinks you know what we are. I found out what Edward and his family was while I was still human, and Aro ordered the change. You _do not_ want that. You have so much to live for."

"Are you unhappy being what ever it is you are? Do you wish you were still human?" Angela asked me.

Esme and Rosalie both looked to me with raised eyebrows. I smiled a soft smile. "No and no, I am very happy with the life I have. I can truly be with Edward now. I don't wish to still be human, because Edward is worth much more than that to me. But you, Angela, you have Ben, and your little baby, who are both human. You need to stay human for them. Aro would force us to change you if he found you now. You would lose both of them forever."

More tears began flowing from Angela's eyes.

"Oh, Angela, I didn't mean to upset you! We will keep you safe, there is no need to cry." I said, instantly regretting my words.

"I'm not crying because I am scared. You said baby. I am going to have a baby!" Angela wiped her eyes and took a few deep breaths. "I'm sorry. Stupid hormones. I can't control myself. It's very... aggravating."

"Oh, dear, you needn't worry about it. I remember my pregnancy. I was extremely hormonal!" Esme said. "One minute I would be on cloud nine, and then the next, someone would say a button had popped on my shirt, and I would cry my eyes out!"

Angela tilted her head. "You have been pregnant?" Angela (as well as all of the students at Forks High) thought Esme was unable to have children.

"When I was human, I had a baby. So I have been through this. I remember most of it, so I can help whenever you need it. Now, let's get you to a doctor and have that baby checked out!" Esme smiled brightly.

Luckily, it was a rather cloudy day in New York; so all three of us were able to go with Angela to her appointment. Apparently, the Cullens had lived here about a decade ago, and Carlisle Cullen was still a famous name around the medical district. Of course, he could never come to visit, but he often helped with cases over the phone. As a result, Angela had one of the best doctors in the United States. He was always so booked, you were told to start making your monthly pregnancy checkups a month before you started trying for a baby. Angela didn't even have to sit in the waiting room. As soon as we entered the exam room, a nurse came into the room with a needle and small vial.

"I just need to draw some blood" She said, and quickly stepped forward to Angela.

I looked frantically at Rosalie and Esme. Their eyes were wide.

"Wait!" I shouted.

The nurse stopped her movements, the needle touching Angela's skin. She looked at me, confused.

"They faint at the sight of blood. They probably shouldn't be in the room for this." I smiled weakly.

I heard both Esme and Rosalie let out a small sigh of relief before they made their way to the door.

"Are you sure you will be okay, Bella?" Esme asked quietly.

"I should be fine. In the mall some little boy lost a tooth. It was controllable."

Esme nodded and quickly left the room.

The pull of Angela's blood was strong, so I sat as far in the corner as possible, not breathing. Angela looked at me like I was the weirdest thing she had ever seen. I accidentally put handprints into the metal chair in which I sat. I quickly began reforming the metal. The nurse's vision was occupied by Angela's elbow, so I didn't have to worry about her looking at me. The nurse left the room after wrapping up Angela's arm.

We were silent for a few moments before Angela spoke.

"So, you are super fast, hate blood, and," Angela paused while looking at the chair, "incredibly strong"

I just nodded.

"Okay." Angela said. She turned to the door. "Rosalie, Esme, you can come back in now."

The door opened and the two came in, weary for the smell of blood.

"You have super sonic hearing, too. Hmm."

Angela was trying to put the clues together. Hopefully, she wouldn't figure it out. She didn't have long to think, the doctor came in the room quickly, pushing and ultra sound machine.

"Hello, Angela. I'm Dr. Clark, and I am here to look at your baby!" Dr. Clark looked up to see Esme. "Ah, Esme," he said, giving her a soft hug. "You haven't aged a day."

Esme smiled, and laughed. "Oh, I guarantee you, Dr. Clark, I have indeed started getting old." I looked to Esme, who had done her makeup to make her look several years older. "But Botox is a wonderful thing." She laughed again.

Dr. Clark laughed with her and pulled out the wand to the machine. "Alright, Angela. The blood tests confirmed that you are indeed pregnant. Now it says here that you believe the baby is six weeks old."

"Yes, Doctor. I am six weeks along, tomorrow will be seven."

"Actually, you are eight weeks along, almost nine. The baby is six weeks old. It's some complicated system us doctors use. We count you pregnant from the first day of your last menstrual cycle, which was?"

"Over 8 weeks ago." Angela answered, with a nervous laugh at the end.

"Now, we won't be able to tell gender or anything like that, but we can hear the heartbeat today. Why don't you lift up your shirt a little for me."

Angela lifted up her shirt, exposing her small stomach. She didn't have the slightest bump, you never would know she was pregnant.

"This will be cold." Dr. Clark warned, as he squirted the jelly on to her stomach.

While Dr. Clark moved the wand around Angela's stomach, he talked. "At this age, your baby is about the size of... well, do you keep up with celebrities, much, Angela?"

What? What did that have to do with anything? Angela looked confused, too, but she nodded.

"Well, your baby is about the size or the rock in Eva Longoria's ring, and it weighs about as much as the check Tony Parker wrote to pay for it. He or she is growing very fast, in fact, it is about 10,000 times larger than when it was conceived."

Angela blushed at this word.

"He or she has fingers and toes by now, and is going to start moving soon, but you won't feel it for a long time. Within the next few days, the parts that determine boy or girl will begin developing. Do you hear that whooshing sound? That's the heartbeat."

I looked over to Angela. Tears were streaming down her face. I took her small hand.

Finally, Dr. Clark found it, and showed us the little spot among the black and white that was Angela's baby.

Angela laughed. "Something so small sure is making me puke a lot."

"Well, that's not all it's going to do, either. Are your breasts tender yet?"

Angela's eyes grew wide and she nodded furiously.

"They are going to start growing like crazy. For the next few weeks, you are not going to look like a pregnant woman; you are going to look like a Victoria's Secret model. While you hate it, the father will love it, I'm sure."

Angela blushed again.

The doctor finished with the ultrasound and printed out a few pictures for Angela to keep. He wrote a prescription for special pre-natal vitamins, and told Angela to start getting lots of rest. She was going to be exhausted for the next month.

I took Angela back to the hotel while Esme and Rosalie went to 5th Avenue to buy Angela new bras. She was already in need of a larger size.

Angela tried eating some ham and saltines, and drank a glass of sprite to keep the nausea down. While she ate, we talked.

"Can you hear the baby's heartbeat without the Doppler?" Angela asked, out of the blue. I looked up to her with questioning eyes. "You do have amazing hearing, after all."

I smiled. "Yes, I can hear it. It's faint, but it's there."

"What was your first ultra sound like?" Angela asked. Her questions were all over the map.

"I never had one. Renesmee's amniotic sac was to thick to see through."

"Oh." She said quietly.

She fell asleep shortly after. I was sitting on the couch, thinking to myself about my pregnancy when my phone rang. I looked at it and saw 'Edward' appear on the screen.

"Edward!" I yelled in to the phone.

"Bella." He breathed back.

"Oh Edward I am so sorry for getting us into this mess. The last thing we need is the Volturi after us, again! I should have listened to you in that stupid mall and never-"

"Bella! Stop this right now! None of this is your fault. None of this is anyone's fault. Calm down. Angela needs you right now. How is she?"

"She is holding it together, but I think she is close to a break down. She is really emotional right now." I said.

"I imagine. This is an emotional situation." Oh, I forgot that Edward did not know about the pregnancy.

"Well, Edward. She is about 9 weeks pregnant, so she is really exceptionally emotional."

The other line was silent.

"Edward?"

"Why didn't Alice see that?"

"Alice wasn't looking nine months ahead, she was looking a few hours ahead. And when she saw Aro get her in Seattle, we changed paths and came to New York."

"New York, huh? How do you like the big apple? We own a house there, you know. You and I could take Renesmee with us anytime and just live on our own for a little while."

I laughed.

"You're just trying to get her away from Jacob."

"So?" He asked in what I assume was his 'innocent' voice.

"So Esme and Carlisle would miss seeing their granddaughter grow up. They would come to visit this Easter and she would look a year older."

Edward just laughed a musical laugh. After he died down, I spoke again.

"I miss you both, so very much."

"I miss you too, love, but you stay put and we can see each other soon. I have to go now, the others might hear me."

"Are things okay there? Are Jane and Alec causing problems?"

"They still think we don't realize they are here. I have to go. I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too, Edward. Give Renesmee a kiss for me."

"Will do. See you soon." Edward hung up. I sat there with the phone still to my ear. Not moving. I eventually clicked the phone shut, but sat on the couch with not a thought in my head. This was the closest to sleep I could get.

Esme text messaged me about a half hour later.

_Just arrived to Victoria's Secret._

_Cabs here take forever!_

_Be back in a few hours._

I began cleaning up around the hotel. I went downstairs and bought a suitcase from the gift store, and started packing Angela's things. At least they weren't strewn all over the place now. I called a local pharmacy and had Angela's vitamins delivered. When I found nothing else to do, I took a shower and washed myself clean of all the planes I flew in yesterday. I dried my hair and even curled it a little. Esme and Rosalie were due back in about an hour. This day was moving exceptionally slow.

As if to ease my boredom, my cell phone rang again. This time. 'Alice' showed on the screen.

I answered the phone, but didn't have time to speak before Alice was yelling instructions at me.

"Bella! Someone heard you and Edward speaking, they know where you are! Aro is on a flight to New York City right now. You can't take her to the airport, it's to risky you would run into Aro, Jane, or Alec. I need you to wake Angela now and buy a car. Come back to Forks, ASAP. Esme and Rose will be fine. I will call them next. Got that, Bella?"

My stomach flipped and for the first time as a vampire, I felt nauseous. They were coming _here._

"Oh, my. Yes, we will come back this minute." I managed to speak even with a shaky voice.

"And Bella?" Alice asked.

"Yeah?"

"Get something fast."


	7. Seclusion

I shook Angela's sleeping form for the third time. This time, a little rougher.

"Angela, you have to wake up! We have to leave, now."

Angela's eyes fluttered open. She looked at me and smiled. She hadn't heard me, apparently. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide. She sprang up and ran to the bathroom. I heard her struggle and ran in to hold her hair back.

"Angela, I know this isn't the best time, but we have to go. _Now._"

She looked up to me with wide eyes. "Why?" She coughed out.

"They found out where we are." I said. Angela quickly brought her head to the toilet bowl again. "Oh, Angela, I'm so sorry."

"No. We don't have time. Let's go." Angela quickly stood up and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She ran to the sink and washed out her mouth. I grabbed her suitcase and packed up the rest of her things, her toothbrush, and the like. She didn't even change out of the outfit that she had gone to the doctor's in; and slept in. She held the door for me while we ran. I went to the main desk to see the same boy as earlier sitting there. I checked out of the room and asked for a place to get a car, rent or buy.

"As you recall, I like the nicest available. I will need the nicest car that this city has to offer. And I need it, now."

The boy leaned forward. "I know a place that has just what you need. It's not entirely, well, legal, but you don't seem like you would mind that. They can get you in the fastest thing in NYC. You interested?"

I nodded. "Name and address."

He began to write the name and address, but I told him to just read it out loud instead. I didn't need to see the address, I could remember it. The shop was a block away, so I grabbed Angela's suitcase and we ran.

The fastest car that the shop had available was a new C7 Corvette; luckily it was a solid black, which made night driving safer. The car was not supposed to be released to the public until 2011 or 2012. I quickly paid cash and shoved Angela's bag in the back. We had just pulled into the New York Streets when I realized I had no idea how to get to Forks.

My cell phone rang. "Alice".

I put it on speaker. The New York Streets were unfamiliar, and I wanted both hands on the wheel. "What now?" I asked.

"Get two lanes over... now. Turn right on the next street and take it to the interstate. The interstate will get you to Washington. You will miss every single cop, except for one in Missoula, Montana, so slow down there. Call me when you stop for gas. You will only need to stop twice. Make sure the windows are rolled up in Michigan, it will be sunny. Don't step out of the car for any reason there. I'm kind of skipping ahead with your futures. I skip over most the ride, but you will get to Forks safe."

"And after that?" I asked.

"I'm sure you will both be fine. See you tomorrow. Love you."

_Click. _

What did Alice mean by, 'I'm sure you will be fine?' Had she not seen the outcome?

Angela sniffed in the passenger seat. "Distract me." she whimpered.

"Okay. How about we sing show tunes?" She laughed at that. Laughter was good.

"I really don't think I should be opening my mouth that much right now." Angela answered.

"Well, what are you and Ben going to do when the baby is born? How are you going to tell your parents? Are you going to get married before or after the baby is born?" I hoped that by firing questions at her, she would keep her mind occupied.

She laughed. "You are really curious, aren't you?"

"Well, I didn't even get to tell my dad about Renesmee, I was kind of deprived of all the normal pregnancy stuff. I didn't even get to go buy maternity clothes. I just wore Edward's sweaters and stuff."

"Well. Ben and I were planning on getting a house or apartment after semester. We are going to tell my parents over spring break. Just sit them down on a couch and spit it out. He wants to get married before the baby is born, but I don't want to be fat in my wedding dress."

I laughed. "Angela, you know you won't show for another two months or so. You can have one sooner than you thought! Do your parents know about the engagement?"

"Oh yes. I called them the day after he proposed. They were very excited."

"Well then. It looks like we have a wedding to plan."

"So when you were pregnant with Renesmee, even you dad didn't know?"

"No one did. Only the Cullens. Of course, Aro found out about her soon enough. He wanted to kill her. He said that she was unpredictable, that she was too powerful for her own good. We about fought them."

"What happens if you fight them? Would you win?"

"We would knock out a few core players, but we would probably all be killed, too." Angela gulped. "We are very lucky it didn't turn into a fight." I finished. "But they have seen our numbers. They are weary to attack us. They know we would kill prime people before we went."

Angela nodded. "I got another clue as to what you are."

I looked to her, nervous. "What is that? What are your clues, anyway?"

"Well, you are super strong, and fast, you have amazing hearing, and from the way you are driving, I guess amazing sight, too."

I looked to my speedometer. I was going just over 160.

"You don't sleep, which must suck. You can't go into the sunlight, which makes me think vampire, but the way Rose and Esme ran when they drew my blood throws me. No vampire hates human blood, right? Maybe you fell in a toxic waist dump?"

I couldn't believe it. Angela had called it. She thought we were vampires, but the way Esme and Rosalie had acted in that exam room threw her off. I guess I could see where that came from, Rose and Esme definitely acted like they hated blood.

However, Angela was not done thinking out loud.

"But, maybe I am assuming the wrong thing? What if- you don't hate blood. What if you love it? What if it has such a strong attraction that you had to leave the room?"

I looked at her, with very wide eyes. She turned her head to me, staring me down.

"I'm right, aren't I? You love blood. You don't hate it at all. Bats have amazing hearing, you know."

I laughed. "We don't turn into bats."

"So I'm right? You are vampires?" There was no reason to deny her now. All Aro would need to see was the word 'vampire' in her thoughts once, and she would have two choices, become one, or die.

"We are the good guys."

"When you say we, you mean all of the Cullens. Esme? Alice? _Carlise? _He's a doctor! Blood's all over!"

I didn't say anything.

"Well. That certainty makes Forks a more interesting place to live, I guess."

I laughed. "We don't kill people. You know when I first moved to Forks? You told me Carlisle takes his family on hunting trips? That's literally what we are doing. We just don't use weapons. We are deadly enough by ourselves."

"Oh. So Aro, is like- what? The macho strongest vampire?"

"He has an army with him. That's what makes him so strong."

"And what is his army planning to do to me? Now that I know?"

"He will want you to become a vampire" I said grimly. I left out the part about dying.

"Couldn't we just lie? Tell him that I don't know anything?"

"He reads minds."

"Seriously?" Angela asked, shocked. I was giving her too much information.

"So does Edward."

"Well- I hope he has never heard anything embarrassing. I am sure he absolutely loves Jessica." Angela laughed. So did I.

"He hates hearing a lot of it. He gets very protective of me in public. My mind is the only one he has never been able to read." I added. Maybe I could keep her interested.

"Interesting. You two were made for each other."

I just smiled.  
"Maybe becoming a vampire won't be so bad. At least, not if I can get _that _body." Angela commented, gesturing to my curves.

We laughed together.

Angela fell asleep not much later, and sure enough, I had to make a short stop for gas not much later. As instructed, I called Alice.

"Bella." The voice said into the phone.

But it was not the high-pitched, bell voice I was expecting. It was smooth velvet, making my skin tingle and my dead heart race.

"Edward." I replied, afraid that I was imagining things, and that the phone had not even dialed yet.

"I miss you so much. Renesmee keeps asking for you. She thinks this is her fault, because Aro came for her."

"Oh Edward, no. Don't let her thing that. Blame Aro, blame me if you need to. Don't let Renesmee feel guilty." I said. I felt so terrible.

"I have been trying. I will keep telling her that. How are you? Are you safe? Have you seen anyone? Smelled anyone?"

I laughed. "One at a time, Edward. I am fine. Angela has been doing okay, but I assume we are going to need to find a rest stop as soon as she wakes up. She figured it out, Edward. She _knows._"

Edward sighed on the other line. "You know what that means."

"I do. But we cannot let her die, and I refuse to take her humanity from her. She'll have a baby to raise." I said. I would fight for Angela.

"I don't think they would wait for her to have the baby, Bella."

Oh. _Oh _my God. I swear I felt bile rise in my throat. "They would do that? They would stop Angela's pregnancy? Surely they can't be that cruel! She _wants _this baby!"

"Bella, eight more months may be too long for them to wait. We _will _fight for this baby. We will not allow this pregnancy to end. But I want you to be prepared for their demands. You need to be ready to run."

"I can't go without you again."

"You will have too, Bella. Demitri can't trace you. You can protect Angela. You know that someone has to be with Renesmee, and the three of us with Angela would be way to easy to find."

"It physically hurts me to be away from you, Edward. How weak is that? I can't even protect my friend."

"You can and you will. I love you, Bella, I have to go. Alice is demanding the phone."

"I love you Edward, give Renesmee my love, let her know this is not her fault."

"Bella!" Alice shouted.

"Did Edward hear any of that?" I asked her.

"Yes, he did. He is going to talk to Renesmee right now."

"Good. Now why was it so important to call you?"

"Aro will be arriving in NYC in about two hours. You need to go faster."

"Really?! I was going 160! I am already in Indiana!"

"Faster." Alice repeated.

"Ok. I can do that."

"Also, You will need to make one more stop. I didn't want Angela to hear on speaker phone."

"Where? Why?"

"You need to stop in Iowa."

"What for, Alice? Will we have time?"

"You will be taking Angela to get a wedding dress. She is getting married next week, after all."

I smiled. "That's a great idea Alice."

She laughed on the other line. "Pay with credit card. It will throw them off. I already have the invitations made and ready to be sent, but I figured I could show them to Angela first. We told Ben that she was off looking at dresses with you, but he is getting antsy."

"Well, the tank is filled, so we will be off."

"Oh and Bella?"

"Yes, Alice?"

"I love the car. Keep it for Renesmee."

"Hah. As if I would let her in this death trap." I snorted.

"You will. Just, keep it for a little while." Alice spoke with a little hint in her voice.

Again, Alice got to hang up before I said goodbye.

I hopped back in to the car and sped up the pace.

Angela woke shortly after. "Where are we going?" She asked, groggily.

"To Iowa. We are buying you a wedding dress."


	8. Shopping

Angela hadn't looked this happy in three days. She tried on dress after dress, veil after veil, and finally slipped on the perfect one. She was absolutely glowing with excitement.

"I just love the train. And the waist is so very delicate. The bust is big, but I am sure I will have it filled by next week." Angela said, laughing at the end.

"I think it's perfect. It looks lovely."

Angela smiled even wider.

While she scurried into the dressing room with an attendant, I went to the front desk to pay.

"So she liked the Vera Wang, yes? That is one of my favorite pieces." Said the old woman who worked behind the desk. "Now, I'll admit- it is one of my most expensive dresses, so if you will step into the back with me, we can set up a payment plan."

I smiled at her and spoke.

"That won't be necessary. We have been saving for her dress." I pulled out the black credit card and handed it to the woman.

"Oh!" She said and swiped the card. "Approved." She said with a small ounce of surprise to her voice.

"As I said, we have been saving for quite a while." _Three hundred years_, as an estimate. She nodded and grabbed a silk dress bag from under the counter. The attendant brought the dress out and helped the woman put it in the bag.

Angela came out a few minutes later. She hugged me rather tightly for a human.

"Thank you." She breathed into my hair. She took a sniff of me and pulled her head back from our embrace. "Has anyone ever told you how wonderful you smell?" She asked me. I broke out into a fit of laughter.

"You have _no _idea." I replied.

She looked at me with furrowed eyebrows, but let it slide.

"Come on. Let's go." I said, as I grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the store. The attendant followed behind us with the dress and a surprise veil. She whistled when she saw the car, but quickly recovered and waited for me to open the door and place the dress in the back seat. I smiled at her and got in the car with Angela. My phone rang, this time; I didn't even look at the screen.

"Hey Alice."

"You got the dress?"

"A beautiful one."

"Good. You need to hurry, since you lost time while shopping." She used a reproachful voice, but this was her idea! I sighed.

"How fast, Alice?"

"Try 200."

"Okay. See you soon."

I hung up the phone and looked to Angela.

"You are going to want to sleep for this. I imagine your stomach won't do great at fast speeds."

Angela nodded. "I am pretty exhausted, anyway."

She reclined her seat and dozed off quickly. I upped the speed as soon as her heart beat slowed.

I slowed down in Missoula, just like Alice said. In fact, I waved to the police officer who, looked angry to miss a ticket.

When I hit the Washington start line, I called home.

Edward answered.

"Bella. How are you?"

"I'm fine Edward. You should have seen Angela pick out her dress. I haven't seen her so happy. It's almost like she forgot that the most powerful of all vampires is after her."

"That's good. I'm sure she will look almost as beautiful as you in your wedding dress."

I laughed.

"Where do we go when we get to Forks? What is going to happen when we get there?"

"Alice can't see everything, because of the dogs, but she says they won't come looking for her here for a while. They know Angela is on the run by now, and so they are searching major cities. She needs to avoid Seattle." I could hear Alice protesting in the background, begging to speak to me. I could hear Emmett holding her back.

"She is getting married next week, Edward. Can she go on a honeymoon? Or are we going to have to hide in corners to make sure she is safe? I don't mind watching her every second of every day until I know she is safe." I realized that sounded perverted, but I just wanted Angela safe.

"Alice will find a safe city for them to honeymoon in, so you can be home. With _me_. She will find the most amazing place. Perhaps Isle Esme? The Volturi don't really know that exists. Anyway, come to the main house when you get to Forks."

"Ok. We should be there in a few hours."

"Three hours and twenty minutes" I heard Alice mutter in the background.

"What she said." I told Edward.

He laughed. I appreciated that he was trying to keep the mood light for me; he knew that I could loose it at any minute. My newborn emotions were still a little out there.

"Well then, it seems I will have my life back in just over three hours. I love you Bella. See you soon." Edward said.

"I love you too." I said, smiling. He hung up, and I was left to pout.

Angela woke up soon, smiling.

"What has you so happy?" I asked her.

"It's a girl." Was Angela's short reply. I looked at her, quizzically.

"How would you know that, Angela?"

"I had a dream. I know that it's a girl."

"I though Renesmee was going to be a boy. I was convinced. I had dreams."

Angela's smile didn't budge. "She's a girl. I know it."

"Okay. Well, Alice will know soon enough. She could probably tell you right now."

"What do you mean? Is the heartbeat different or something? Can you smell a difference?"

I laughed. "No. Alice can see future events. Don't freak, not all of us have super amazing powers. Just a few of us."

Angela just nodded. She was a mix between Charlie and I, she asked questions, but she only asked on what she felt was a need to know basis. She never really pushed me for information.

On the way home we spoke of her wedding. What kind of flowers she would want, where she could have it, who we would invite. We were pulling up to the house when Angela asked me another question.

"Bella, you have done so very much to protect me. Would you be my maid of honor?"

I smiled at her. "I would love to Angela. Thank you so much for asking me." I felt a little bad because I had not asked Angela to be a bridesmaid at my wedding.

Angela laughed. "It's the least I could do. You did throw me your bouquet, after all."

I smiled when I remembered tossing Angela my bouquet at my wedding. She seemed surprised then. I wonder if that was the second Ben decided to propose.

We arrived back to the house and before the car was even off, Edward had opened my car door and was waiting for me. I turned off the car and his arms grabbed around my waist. He picked me up and swung me in circles.

"I missed you, too" I laughed while still in the air.

Angela looked at us and smiled. Then a small frown crossed her face.

"Don't worry, Angela, Ben is going to be here in about an hour. The two of you have some serious wedding planning to do with Alice. First, though, we have some talking to do." Edward said, I cringed in his arms.

Edward grabbed Angela's dress and suitcase and headed into the house. I held her hand and walked her up the steps.

"Where are Esme and Rosalie? Are they still running from Aro?" Angela asked me.

I looked to Alice, who was standing in front of us impatiently.

"They're fine. They are buying plane tickets to every major city in the U.S. to keep Aro looking elsewhere. It's working. He went back to Italy, and now Alec and Jane are off our tails, too." She shifted her attention to me. "Bella, do I _really _have to wait a whole hour before I can plan this wedding?"

"_Help _plan this wedding." Alice interjected. She started to cross her arms, but thought better of it halfway through and placed them on her hips instead.

"Fine." Alice muttered. "Let's go sort out the details of this little game of hide and seek we've got going."

We all settled in the living room, minus Esme and Rosalie. Jacob came in with Rensemee and I quickly held my hands out for her. She ran to my arms and sat quickly in my lap. Angela's eyes about popped out of her head. She closed her eyes, shook her head, and opened her eyes, looking at me. She stared for a minute. She suddenly sat straight, and moved her mind to other things. I could tell just by the expression change on her face. She spoke.

"Alright, then. How long do I need to run before the big bad vampire leaves me alone?"

Edward looked at me, and then moved his gaze to Angela. "Angela, these vampires, they are not going to just let us -you- go. We will eventually have to face them."

He looked to me again, asking me to continue for him with his eyes.

"Angela, when I found out what the Cullens were, I was faced with two choices; death, or becoming a vampire. For me, that was fine. I was more than ready to become a vampire. For you, as I said earlier, vampire life is not the best option. You have too much humanity to live for."

"I won't let them kill me. I am not going to die and leave my baby or my fiancé."

I looked to Edward. Should we tell her that the Volturi would be unlikely to wait for her to deliver?

Alice spoke. "It will work out, Angela. I should know." She smiled weakly. I saw right through her lie.

"We need to plan the next nine months. Angela needs to be in hiding. I'm guessing that Aro will come back here eventually, and we can't be here." I said. "I will have to be with her, since none of you can know her exact location. Aro could easily find out where she is just by bumping you."

Edward grimaced. I grabbed his hand. Nessie stirred in my arms and brought her hand to my face. I saw the last three days in her head. Edward pacing and holding her tight. Alice, running to the house to call me after Alec and Jane left. She showed me one night that she had seen Jane. She knew what was happening, to an extent. I looked into her eyes, _my eyes_, and spoke to her the truth. She was far too perceptive to lie to.

"Yes, mommy will have to go away again, but I will miss you every second of every day." I kissed the top of her head.

"Let me and daddy come with you, then. We can help, too." Renesmee spoke.

Angela gasped again.

"I'm sorry, daddy. I forgot I wasn't supposed to talk." Renesmee said, turning to Edward.

"It's okay, Ness-" Edward started.

I growled.

"Er, I mean, Renesmee. Angela is still okay, see?"

Renesmee gave her a once over, and then nodded. Angela giggled.

"I'm glad I have your daughter's approval."

"So, on to the next nine months," I said. "Obviously, Angela is going to be here until next week. Then she can honeymoon in a place Alice and I assure as safe. I will pick her up. We need to get you away from Ben, Angela. I am so sorry, but it wouldn't be safe for him to be seen in your company right now. It wouldn't be safe for him to even be around us right now. We will keep you in hiding at least until you deliver."

A tear rolled down her cheek, but she nodded.

"How can I leave him?" Angela asked. "I can't hurt him. He has to know I love him every second I am gone."

"A foreign exchange program." I said. I looked to Alice.

"It's the best we can do." Alice agreed. "As for school, I will go for you to England and become Mrs. Angela Cheney. No one will know the difference. Bella will hide you."

The rest of the hour passed quickly. We planned to hide Angela until she delivered. We hoped that by then the Volturi would give up. That maybe they would decide one human couldn't do any damage. We knew that was unlikely. We would fight for Angela if we had too, but Carlisle remembered something Aro said in the clearing that fateful day they almost started a war.

_"I am sorry to earn your disapproval, my dear friend. Perhaps, in time, you will forgive me." _Aro had said to Carlisle with a sad expression.

_"Perhaps, in time, you will prove a friend to us again." _Carlisle said stiffly.

Carlisle said that if we offered forgiveness for the Renesmee incident, maybe he would let Angela go. It could be our one favor. The gift they were willing to give us. What was seventy human years to the Volturi?

Ben arrived soon after and Alice grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him and Angela to the dining room, where dozens of books and scrapbooks lay. They were busy for hours.

Invitations were sent out that day, and the following week passed very quickly. It was almost forgotten that we were in hiding, probably because we were hiding in plain sight.

Before I knew it, Angela's wedding had approached.


	9. Surrender

I felt an odd sense of déjà vu as I walked down the isle again. Familiar faces turned to look at me, but still I only saw Edward at the alter, standing behind Ben, the rings in his pocket.

I had worked hard to make myself look like the pre-vampire Bella, because I would be seen by quite a few old human friends at the wedding. I wore the brown contacts, I made sure I wore a bubble dress, one that didn't show many of my new curves, I wore my hair in a tight bun, hoping to disguise the differences there, and I skipped out on the heels, much to Alice's displeasure. I also wore a large amount of blush; it looked just like my old natural blush, which always adorned my human face.

Esme and Rosalie made it back to Forks just yesterday. They took some legs of the journey by foot, they drove some, and took two short flights to make sure that they were not being tailed. They had spent the last several hours decorating the Cullen home.

We decided it would be safest if Angela's wedding was held in our house, where we could protect her. A small crowd came to watch the union. Angela and Ben's parents, their cousins and extended families. Emmett got to act as the officiate, but only because Angela's father was a little busy walking her down the isle. The young twins walked behind Angela, carrying her train. The ceremony was simple. It was beautiful. Angela had tears in her eyes the whole time. Edward gave the two the rings, and I held Angela's bouquet during the exchange. Edward held my gaze the entire ceremony, a soft smile on his face. I had lifted my shield to him and was remembering our wedding. The vows were beautiful, they didn't mention the baby, since Angela didn't show, and the two had only told their parents about the pregnancy.

The reception was quick, but still had all of the traditions. Angela and Ben cut cake, and they, unlike Edward and I, fed each other sweetly. They drank apple cider from champagne glasses wrapped around each other's arms, and they shared dances with each other and their parents.

Angela threw her bouquet, which one of her cousins caught, and Ben shot Angela's garter to one of his family friends. The two seemed to hit it off rather well that night.

Angela and Ben didn't leave the house; they stayed there until the guests left, instead. Ben didn't understand why, but Angela knew it was so we could protect her.

Alice said they could go on a two-week honeymoon. The Volturi would be back to Forks in about three weeks. The wolves, and Renesmee, made things difficult for her to see.

They stayed the night in our small cabin. The next morning, Angela and Ben boarded a private jet to take them to Rio, the boat would take them from Rio to Isle Esme. I would pick them up in Seattle when they returned. Angela would have three more days with Ben before she had to leave Forks for her "exchange program".

I was extremely nervous to let them on the plane. I stood on the tarmac bouncing my heels. Edward came up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders, to hold me down.

"Relax, love. Alice says they will be fine the entire time they are on Isle Esme. No complications. Angela really wants this. Remember how much you wanted our honeymoon?"

I laughed. "I just can't help but feel like this is some kind of trap. It's paranoid- I know."

Edward kissed my temple and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Don't worry. It will all work out."

It was the day that Angela and Ben were supposed to come back from their honeymoon. Edward had gone hunting with Emmett and Jasper, so Esme came up to the cottage to visit with me. Renesmee had just fallen asleep. I had just placed her in her crib, when I heard Alice gasp from the main house.

"Watch her." I said to Esme and ran to the main house. Alice's eyes were blank, but from her frantic breathing, I could tell she wasn't having a vision. She was searching.

"Alice! Alice, what's wrong?"

She snapped her eyes to me. "We have to get to Salt Lake City, _now._" Alice answered with a severe whisper.

"Why? What happened?" I asked, my stomach on the floor.

"Something broke with the private jet, so they used the emergency card we gave them to buy flights."

"What does that have to do with anything, Alice? Those cards had different names on them!"

Alice looked at me gravely. "Aro figured it out. That's where they are intercepting Angela and Ben."

We were in the car driving to Salt Lake within the next ten seconds. Alice new that this would be the fastest way to get there. "We really need to talk Carlisle into buying a helicopter." Alice muttered. "Call Edward. He is going to freak if he comes home and doesn't know why you are gone. I will give you details in a minute."

I fumbled with the small silver phone until I finally got Edward's number punched into the little keys.

"Hello, love. Miss me?" Edward said into the phone. I hated to ruin his good mood.

"Edward. I need you to go home and watch Renesmee." I said.

"What's wrong?" He asked, with more urgency in his voice.

"Alice had a vision. It's- It's bad." I said, my hand on my face.

"What's happened? Where are you?" Edward asked.

"I don't know the specifics yet. I just know that Aro discovered where they were. We're going to Salt Lake City. Edward, I have to go. I love you."

"I love you, Bella. Be safe."

"Goodbye, Edward."

"Goodbye, my love, my life. I _will_ see you soon."

I closed the phone and looked to Alice. "Details. _Now._"

She took a deep breath.

"Right now Angela and Ben are on their flight to Salt Lake City. When they get there, they are going to try to find a flight to Seattle, where you were supposed to pick them up. Angela is going to start getting really nauseous, and her back is going to start hurting. Ben is going to decide that they can stay the night in a hotel. He is going to leave Angela just outside for fresh air while he tries to go rent a car. It's going to be late, so the airport will clear out pretty quick. Ben is only nineteen, and you have to be twenty-one to rent a car. He is going to be inside, having a lot of trouble, when Aro and Jane will approach Angela. That was my old vision, before we started heading there."

"And now? What is the vision like now?" I asked, my voice shaking and cracking in odd places.

"I don't know. It keeps changing. Aro and Jane keep changing their minds about how to go about the situation. They are just now boarding a direct flight to Salt Lake City. They will decide what to do when they find out how much Angela knows. It looks like they are leaning toward offering her the same proposal as you. However, Aro is not as interested in Angela as he was in you. They may not even offer life as a vampire to her."

"Alice, they have a little more fire power than we do. Can we fight them if we need to?" I asked, weary.

"Carlisle is right behind us. You can take Jane. Carlisle and I can take Aro."

I spun around in my seat, and sure enough, a black Mercedes was on our tail.

We drove through the rest of the night in complete silence. Alice knew how to get to the airport, I'm not quite sure how, but I didn't ask questions. We sped through the streets of Salt Lake City, and Alice quickly found the airport. She wove through the parking lot, and drove quietly to the back. We were running to the terminal when we heard Angela yelling.

"Look here, freaky, I don't know who the _hell _you think you are. You can't just follow me around with your little daughter - or whoever she is - and try to touch me! Look, I don't know anything about you, the Cullens refuse to tell me anything, but you will keep your filthy old man hands off of me! You are some perverted man to just follow me around the freaking nation like this! Seriously, you have like, what, ten years left? You can just leave me the hell alone."

We looked to see Angela constantly moving away from Aro, and Aro reaching his hand out to her. Jane stood behind him, a scowl on her face. I quickly put my shield around Angela. Angela took another weary step back and Aro dove at her, grabbing her wrist. She yelped, but I wasn't sure if it was in pain or fear. He stood there for a minute, and stood up straight. Angela struggled in his grasp. Finally, he let go of her arm.

"Come on out, Bella. I know you must be around here somewhere." He spoke, his voice sickening velvet.

Carlisle, Alice and I walked out of the shadowed parking lot, and up onto the sidewalk. We were the only ones in the terminal. As promised, we could hear Ben fighting with a rental associate from inside the airport.

Aro looked at our small pack. He instantly realized that he was outnumbered, but he didn't seem scared.

"Ah Carlisle, my dear friend." Carlisle stiffened when Aro spoke. Aro noticed. "I see you may still harbor some hard feelings towards me."

Carlisle spoke. "You left much to be harbored."

Aro took a deep breath. "I am afraid that tonight's verdict will not help our situation much, either."

"And what would that verdict be, Aro? Considering that we have done nothing wrong, I imagine coming up with a verdict must have been rather difficult." Carlisle's voice remained calm.

"You have told another human of what we are. Again, your family has spilled the secret." Jane interjected.

"On the contrary, Angela knew nothing of our lifestyle until Aro invaded our home." Carlisle contradicted.

Aro closed his eyes. "I am truly sorry for that, but it does not change the fact that young Angela now knows our secret. I am sorry to say this, but Angela must die, tonight."

Angela did not cry. She did not gasp. She simply took her two hands and placed them over her small stomach.

Jane stepped forward. I froze to the ground.

"NO!" Alice yelled, and stepped in front of Angela.

The next second, Alice was trembling on the ground, emitting small screams of pain. Jane smiled wickedly.

"Stop this!" I yelled, and quickly snapped my shield up over Alice. She lay on the ground for a moment, breathing heavily, before she stood up. She took Angela's hand.

Aro looked to me. "Did you wish to speak, Bella?"

I walked forward, so that I was standing directly in front of Aro.

"This is more complicated than you would think, Aro. Angela has done nothing wrong. She does not deserve a death sentence. You told Carlisle a few months back that you hoped to prove yourself a friend again. This is your chance. Do not kill Angela."

Aro tilted his head. "She knows too much. She cannot live any longer."

"Aro, please. Angela still doesn't know everything. She does not know nearly enough to even make us look suspicious."

Aro stayed silent for a minute. "She cannot remain human. Instead of killing her, would you rather change her?"

"NO!" I shouted.

"Then she must die."

"Wait." A small voice said. I looked to Angela. "I would do anything to stay alive", she said, her hands still clutching her concave stomach.

Aro nodded. "Then it's settled. Bella, change her. Now."

I looked to Aro. "As I said, this is more complicated. Do you not hear the second heartbeat? Have you ever changed a pregnant woman?"

Aro gasped.

"We need nine months, Aro. I will change her in nine months." I said. It was better than nothing.

Jane growled. Aro stopped her forward movement with an upheld hand.

"You will change her in nine months, and bring her to see me in Italy in no later than nine months. I will see you in Volterra, or we will come to you. You do not want that, Bella."

Carlisle spoke. "Then it shall be done, Aro. However, you are no longer considered friends to us. After nine months, you may no longer intervene in our lives. You may not show up unexpectedly for visits to Renesmee. In fact, you may not come at all. We will send you updates, pictures, the like, but you may no longer come to our home. We are no threat to your power or authority, but we will no longer take your abuse of power. You will leave us alone. Is this understood?"

Aro gave us a sick grin. "I am very sorry to hear that I have lost your friendship, but I do understand. I have not proven to be a wonderful friend to you. Bella, you will come alone with Angela in nine months. If she is not one of us by then, she will become our next meal. Understood?"

I nodded. I felt sick to my stomach.

Angela collapsed on the ground next to me, sobbing.

With that, Aro and Jane ran in the opposite direction.


	10. Strategy

Angela sobbed while she lay curled on the sidewalk outside of the Salt Lake City airport. I collapsed to the ground next to her and pulled her into my lap. I rocked her side to side while her tears soaked my shirt. I cried tearlessly with her, too. We had failed. The sobs racked through her small body while Carlisle walked to get her suitcases. Alice ran to get the car. She decided that Angela would need the warm air soon, I guess.

"Angela!" I heard someone yell. I was too busy rocking her and sobbing myself that I didn't take time to analyze the voice. "Bella?" The voice called again. "What's wrong with Angela?"

I opened my eyes to see Ben squatting in front of the two of us. He looked distraught, just seeing his wife unhappy. I opened my mouth, to speak, but had no idea what to tell him. I couldn't exactly tell him that Angela had just been sentenced to become a vampire; that would doom Ben to the same fate. Angela's head popped up when Ben grabbed her hand.

"Oh, Ben, I'm fine. It's just these freaking pregnancy hormones. They've got me all over the map. I was so excited to see Bella, and then I was sobbing. I'm okay." Angela gave Ben a very weak smile. Ben looked to me, his eyebrows raised. I needed Alice the excuse maker to get here quickly before Ben asked more questions. I was having a hard time coming up with answers today.

As if on cue, Alice pulled up in the Mercedes. She opened the door for Angela.

"Lay down in the back, Angela. You can sleep." Alice said.

"I will in a little bit." Angela nodded.

"What are you doing here?" Ben asked me. I looked to Alice.

'Help' I mouthed to her.

She looked to Ben, and remained silent for two seconds before she answered him.

She sighed a big, exaggerated sigh, and started her story.

"Well, the credit card company called us to let us know that several flights had been purchased with our card, and they thought our card had been stolen. Emmett didn't know the password, and so the company had to cancel the account. We knew you were flying into Salt Lake, they told us those were the last flights purchased, so we drove down here so we could give you all a ride back. You wouldn't even have gotten a hotel. You can blame Emmett for all of this, of course. The company allows you to guess the password three times, and Emmett guessed the word 'kitty' all three times. The idiot, he should have asked me, I know all the credit passwords..."

Ben laughed. "Well, thank you so much for driving all the way down here, Alice, Bella. Is that Dr. Cullen with the luggage?"

Alice nodded. "It is. It won't fit in the Porshe, though, so we are going to have to put it all in the Mercedes trunk. Angela will need the whole back seat to sleep. Do you mind riding in the Porsche with Carlisle? It's a long drive, and he will get lonely."

Ben's eyes about popped out of his head. "You mean- I'd get to ride in the _Porsche?!"_

Angela laughed. "You don't have to, if you don't want."

"NO! I mean, sure. I'll ride with Dr. Cullen. If it will keep him company. Ben smiled at the end.

"Thanks, Ben. I am sure that he will appreciate it." Alice said. We turned to see Carlisle putting the rest of the luggage into the trunk. Ben skipped to his side.

"Ready to go, Doctor?" Ben asked, trying hard to mask the enthusiasm in his voice.

"Please, call me Carlisle." my father replied.

The two walked to the Porsche, and I turned to head to the front passenger seat. Alice grabbed my shoulder.

"Take the back with her," she muttered into my ear.

I climbed into the back seat with Angela, who was pushed up against the opposite door, her arms wrapped around her bent knees. I reached for her.

"Angela." I whispered to her. She looked up and stared at me for a few seconds before she broke down again. She tossed her entire body at me and hugged me tight in the back seat of the car. She cried and cried, just like on the sidewalk of the airport. I vaguely remember the car starting up and moving.

After a while, I'm not quite sure how long, the tears began to slow. Angela slowed her breathing, and began wiping her eyes. She repositioned herself so that she was sitting next to me, facing me, when she began to speak.

"So, becoming a vampire, what's that like? I mean, I don't see any way out of this one, so I figure I better get used to it." She stated, plain as day.

"You go through a three day transformation. You have to be bitten by a vampire; we are venomous." I took a deep breath. "It's extremely painful, Angela, worse than child birth."

She nodded. "I can do three days. _Hopefully_. So what's the plan? Are you going to change me, Bella?"

"It's not like that. It takes a lot of restraint to change someone. I am a freshly made vampire. I don't have a lot of restraint. I assume Carlisle will change you. He has done it several times."

Alice spoke up from the front seat. "Er, Bella, Aro demanded that you be the one to change her. I think we need to talk about it later, but we should not push Aro anymore than we have."

I nodded, suddenly terrified at the prospect of changing Angela. Would I be able to stop? Aro knew I was a newborn; maybe that's what he wanted, though. I shuddered at the thought.

"So after you change me, after the transformation is complete, then what? Do I just have to start packing on the makeup and wear contacts so I look like my old self? Then I can go back to Ben?"

My heart broke. "Angela, I am a very special newborn. I don't have the blood lust that most newborns do. If you get near Ben while you are still a newborn, you won't be able to stop yourself. You'll kill him."

"Then maybe Ben can be changed with me. I could still be with him that way. You were changed to be with Edward. Maybe Ben would want to change to be with me. Ben and I could raise our little girl, at least. Maybe when she grows up, we could change her too, if she wanted. We could still be a family."

I shook my head. "Angela, the blood lust is to strong. You won't be yourself when you are a newborn. All you are going to care about is blood. If we changed Ben, too, no one would be able to take care of your baby. Sure, when you have gotten past that stage, Ben and your baby will be important to you again but it's unlikely you'll care about them when you are a newborn."

Angela stared at me, her eyes void of emotion. "How long will I be a newborn?"

I looked to Alice. She spoke. "Ten years, give or take. It's different for many vampires. No less than eight years, hopefully no more than fifteen."

Angela gasped. "You mean my baby could be _driving _by the time I can see her again?"

I closed my eyes rather than nodding my head.

"No. NO! You have to think of something! I can't let that happen! I can't leave my husband with a baby! I can't leave my daughter without a mother!" Angela yelled at me.

"I am thinking, Angela. We have nine months to think of something, okay?"

She nodded.

We drove in silence for a while. I couldn't stand it.

"I must say, Angela, I have never seen anyone stand up to Aro like that before. That must have taken a lot of guts!"

Angela giggled. "It was all the hormones. He just walked up and tried to touch me, and I lost it. He deserved it, though. The touchy feely old man."

Alice and I laughed with Angela this time.

Angela spoke again. "Alice, what was Jane doing to you when you fell to the ground? You seemed like you were in such pain."

Alice shivered. "Jane has a power to inflict pain on people. She tricks your brain into thinking your body is in the worst pain it has ever been in."

"And you dove in front of me, to keep me from experiencing that pain?" Angela asked.

Alice nodded. "I couldn't let you feel that. I saw what it would have been. I would never have let that happen to you. Of course, I did seem to forget that Bella could have easily protected us with her shield if I warned her."

Angela had tears in her eyes again. "Thank you, both of you, so much. You have both done so much to protect me. I don't know how I will ever thank you."

"Don't mention it." Alice said.

Angela fell asleep after that, and Alice and I spoke quietly.

"We will figure something out, Bella. It will be okay." Alice comforted me.

"Alice, before I came along, how often did you deal with the Volturi? Did you really see them this often? What was normal? I feel like I have messed up the routine."

"We would visit with them about every eighty years or so. Things should go back to normal after you change Angela. They don't have visitation rights anymore, so we won't have to deal with their interruptions. That will be nice."

"I am very nervous about changing her. I think I will need to practice. Edward can help me. He stopped sucking his _la tu cantante _twice." I laughed.

Alice laughed with me.

"You should call Edward. Let him know what's going on. He is going to have a great idea."

I picked out my cell phone, and dialed the number.

"Bella! I'm so glad to hear from you. I was so worried."

"I'm fine Edward. How is Renesmee?"

"She doesn't understand why you didn't say goodbye. She has been fussy."

"Oh, dear. I will be home soon. I can explain it to her then."

"What happened with Aro, Bella?"

"Oh, Edward. He is forcing me to change her. At first, he was going to make us kill her on the spot. I said that if Aro just let Angela be, that we could be friends again. Aro said that Angela couldn't be left human. He demanded her change that second. When I told him she was pregnant, he gave us nine months. I have to change her, and then take her to Volterra in no more than nine months to prove it."

I heard Edward sigh on the other end. "Ben will be left alone with their child." He said.

"Yes." I replied

"I couldn't do this without you, Bella, and I have one of the easiest children on the planet. How will Ben handle it?"

"I don't know, Edward. We can help him."

"We can buy them a house. They need it. They haven't really thought about where they could be living. They are still in dorms."

"That's a good idea, Edward. I'm sure Alice will be ecstatic to paint another nursery."

I laughed when Alice nodded from the front seat.

When we arrived home, Edward had already purchased a small home not far from where ours was. It was just between Forks and Seattle. I could tell Edward had been fixing it up. Esme had helped decorate the home, and she planted a lovely garden out front.

Angela's eyes watered up yet again when she saw the home. She hugged me tight.

"Thank you so much. You and your family have done so much for me. I know my situation sucks, but I am lucky to have you." She laughed at the end, and buried her face in my shoulder.

Ben's reaction was a little different, he squealed like a little child when he saw his new home. They quickly moved all of their items into their new home, but with Emmett's help, it only took one trip. Alice, Angela and I were sitting in Angela's pale blue living room when Alice spoke up.

"Oh, um- I forgot to tell you, Angela. I know what your having," she said, matter-of-factly.

My smile grew pronounced. That small fact was a serious improvement from a few days ago, when Alice couldn't see a baby in the future.

"Alice! What is it? It's a girl- I can feel that it's a girl." Angela begged.

"I'm not so sure I should tell you. You still have to act surprised at your ultrasound when they tell you."

"Mary Alice Brandon! That's very rude of you! Tell Angela what she's having - or you won't be able to decorate the nursery." I mock yelled at Alice. I knew she couldn't keep a secret like this for long.

"Isabella Marie Cullen! How dare you threaten me with something like that!" Alice shouted, pointing her finger at me. She would have looked scary if she hadn't started laughing at the end. She turned her attention to Angela. "You know, Bella was convinced Renesmee was a boy. She was sure of it."

"So I'm wrong? My baby is a boy?"

"Nope. Bella is just a dimwit." I swatted Alice across her arm.

"My baby girl." Angela murmured, rubbing her stomach.

Over the next few weeks, Angela's belly began to swell. She said she felt huge, but I thought she looked exceptionally cute. She stayed out of the public eye, not yet wanting to announce to Forks that she "had a bun in the oven" as Angela called it. When it became necessary for maternity clothes, we took Angela to Seattle, where she wouldn't see anyone from Forks. Alice had decorated the nursery in all pink. It was frilly and girly and absolutely wonderful. The door had remained shut, so Ben couldn't see, because technically, Angela shouldn't know what she was having yet. Angela invited Ben and I to her sonogram, and she still cried when the doctor announced she was having a girl. Ben got teary eyed a little himself.

Things had almost returned to normal. When the fall semester started, Ben went back to school. Angela had to stay home on bed rest. We didn't speak of Angela's upcoming change. I was still determined to keep her human. I wasn't sure if Angela had come to terms with it or not. I was afraid that she was under the impression that she could be changed, and then go back to her family. Angela would be like any other newborn though. She wouldn't resist just because Ben was her husband.

I knew I had to come up with a plan fast. I was on the edges of coming up with one, I could feel it formulating itself in my head, but I would have to work it just right. I would have to make sure no one but me knew, the one mind Aro couldn't read. I would have to fool a lot of people.

One day, in Angela's thirty-eighth week, Edward and I came over to Angela's home. Ben was visiting his parents, telling them that Angela would have the baby just after New Years and would travel to England just afterwards to check out a foreign exchange program. It was a lavish program, flying her out and paying for her hotel while she decided if she wanted to join. We still had to figure out the rest.

Angela had been on bed rest for a while now and was not happy about it. We came and told stories and laughed while feeling the baby kick. Edward had been oddly silent for most of the visit, and I couldn't figure why that would be. He brought the subject up soon enough.

"We need to talk about the upcoming change. What are we going to tell Ben?"

Angela's eyes grew wide. This was a big change from the funny stories we were just telling. I looked at Edward. "Well, we need to decide what happens while Ben thinks Angela is in England."

Angela moaned from her bed.

"We need to fake her death, Bella. She can't go back to Ben." Edward reminded me. That conflicted with my shambles of plan. I still was not convinced it would work. I highly doubted it would. I should prepare myself for the change. "Maybe she takes a private jet, courtesy of the program, and crash on the way there."

"No." I proclaimed, shaking my head. Ben couldn't think Angela died. "If she has to die, it needs to be on the flight back."

"Why?" Edward asked me, knitting his eyebrows.

"Because Edward! It gives Ben a whole extra week of thinking his wife is alive and loves him. It gives Angela a whole week of peace of mind, knowing Ben isn't grieving her loss when she is going through the most painful thing in her life." I practically yelled at Edward.

Angela moaned again. "Guys-"

Edward interrupted her. "But Bella! That's allowing Ben more time to get his hopes up to see his wife again! He is going to want to talk to her on a phone when she is in some other country. And don't you think it would be even more painful for Angela to change and then watch her own funeral?"

Angela tried to stop the fighting again. "Guys, I-"

I couldn't help it. Edward had to give this up. If he didn't- " Maybe she can't get cell phone reception in England, or where ever it is we pretend to send her. Angela won't be in Forks by the time her change is up. She won't have to see her funeral."

Angela stopped Edward just as he opened his mouth.

"GUYS!" she yelled.

We both looked to her face, surprised by her loudness.

"What is it, Angela?" I asked her.

She shook her head and looked at me, incredulous.

"I think my water just broke."


	11. Sacrifice

BPOV

Oh! Oh! I looked frantically around Angela, who was still starting at me. The entire bedspread was soaked. Angela's soft maternity pants were dripping off the side of the bed.

"Don't worry, Angela! We can do this!" I yelled. Why was I yelling?

Edward laughed. "Bella, relax. She's not having the baby this second. We need to grab her bag and get her to the hospital. You might want to help her put on some new pants."

Angela was still staring at me, she looked scared. "Oh. Crap." she muttered. "It already hurts." She sat on the bed for another second before wincing again.

She grabbed my arm. "It already hurts!" she yelled, a little louder.

"How long have you been in pain?" I asked her.

"How long was I moaning when you guys were fighting?" she asked.

"That's why you were moaning?" I asked back.

"Focus, Bella." Edward interrupted.

"Right. Let's get you in some fresh pants. Edward, get the bag and meet us at the car."

Edward left the room while I helped Angela get her bottoms changed.

"Was your labor this calm?" Angela asked.

I laughed. "Umm, no. I don't remember a lot of it, actually."

"Never mind - spare me the gory details," she said. "I don't think this is the time for birthing horror stories."

We met Edward at the car, and I sat in back with Angela. She had two contractions on the way to the hospital.

It wasn't long until she was yelling to see Ben.

It wasn't much longer that she started cursing at him for '"doing this to her."

That was humorous.

EPOV

Angela's delivery had been relatively quick. Bella, Alice and I had only been sitting in the waiting room for a few hours, because with childbirth, came blood. Ben came out, a huge smile adorned his face, and asked us to come meet his daughter.

The three of us followed Ben into the small room, and saw Angela. She was very pale and her hair stuck to her flushed forehead in awkward ways. On her chest, among the wires and tubes, was a small baby, wrapped in a soft pink blanket. Angela smiled at us, and ushered us over with her hand. She handed the small bundle to Bella, whose face lit up looking at the small child. She looked so beautiful holding the baby; it made me grin thinking of her and Renesmee.

Angela spoke up. "I'd like you to meet Marie Brandon Cheney."

Alice and Bella's heads both popped up at the name. They looked to Angela, with big smiles on their face.

"I'm really glad you guys decided to use your full names that one day, the day you told me she was a girl. I wanted to use Mary, too, but I though Marie Mary sounded a little, I don't know, farmy. So I thought Brandon was cute, too. I thought this was a good way to thank you."

Alice and Bella never stopped grinning; Angela had named her baby after them.

Bella laughed her musical charms. "You didn't see this coming, Alice?"

Alice looked to her, eyes wide, "I wasn't looking, I guess."

The next day, Angela went home, and Bella began preparing to change her. She would bite into an animal only to stop herself. She would try changing a moose or some other animal, and then suck it dry shortly after, so it wouldn't have to suffer. She gorged herself every night, hoping that if the burn wasn't bad enough, she wouldn't have to fight the lust with Angela. She had been acting different, and as the days moved on, she began to act even more strangely. It must have been the nerves.

One day, when she was asking how to change someone, I offered that we do what I had done to her, inject her with venom. She vehemently refused this.

"No! Edward, I am not going to inject her with my venom. I am not a snake, I am not going to spit into a jar and then inject it into her heart. I can bite her just fine. You bit me, too."

"Bella, I don't think you should bite her at all. You are still very young. What if you can't stop? You would be severely hurt, Bella." I was horrified for Bella. Being around humans was one thing. Biting them was another entirely.

"I can do it. I don't need needles to infect a human."

"Well, I can be in the room with you. I can pull you back, if I need to."

"You will not be in the same house as me! Do you understand?"

"Why?" I asked her, hurt.

She seemed to realize she hurt my feelings, and grabbed my hand. "I'm am still stronger than you, Edward, and I can't risk hurting you."

I started to protest, but she stopped me. "You won't be there, and that's final. I will bring Jacob in. He can get me off, and he smells bad enough that it might ruin my appetite," she laughed, but I didn't find it humorous.

"You know that if Jacob is in there that Alice won't be able to see the outcome." I said.

"Maybe I don't want Alice to see this outcome," she muttered. She crossed her arms and walked away, ending the conversation.

Another day, she began asking about the Volturi.

"Alice said that we probably won't hear from the Volturi for a good eighty years after this. Do you think that's true?" She asked me. I didn't understand this. There would be no need to see them.

"Why are you asking?" I asked her, stroking her jaw

She sighed. "It doesn't matter why. Will we see them within the next eighty years or not?" she asked, short with me.

"Well, from what Carlisle tells me about your last encounter, I would assume that, no, we won't see them unless we go to them. I am curious as to why you wanted to know, though."

"I was just wondering if they would ever check up on Ben or baby Marie." She said, rubbing her forehead. I had noticed she did that a lot lately, when she was stressed.

"No, they will leave Ben and Marie alone."

She sighed a happy sigh and cuddled into my side.

Yet another day, she demanded Alice tell her where she got her colored contacts.

"I am running out of brown contacts, and I want to go see Charlie soon." Bella claimed. "Where do you order those contacts from?"

"I can order them for you, Bella. It's not a big deal."

"No Alice! I can do it myself. Just tell me the website, please."

Alice looked to me, unsure of what just happened. I shrugged my shoulders.

Alice told her the website address, and Bella thanked her again.

"How fast do they ship them?" Bella asked.

"You can have them over-nighted." Alice answered.

"Perfect." I heard Bella mutter.

Bella and Angela had looked at the calendar, and decided on a date to make the change. Tomorrow was the day.

"I don't want to push them, Angela. We need to get there before the last day." Bella explained to Angela. "Today has to be the day I change you."

Angela sighed and nodded. She was over the tears. She had told Ben that she was going to England for a few days to check out the foreign exchange program there. He protested, but agreed it was a great opportunity and the two of them could live in England if it was what Angela wanted. Although this is what any wife would want to hear, it only made things worse for Angela, because she knew she would never come home from this "trip".

Bella refused to tell Ben of Angela's death until after they returned from Volterra. I wasn't sure why. I assumed it was so that Bella could be there for Ben and the baby.

Angela went home to say her goodbyes to Ben. We decided to let them have this moment to themselves. After Bella dropped Angela off at home, she went to La Push to speak with Jacob. She had to tell him what was going to happen the next day. She came home later that afternoon.  
"He knows why we have to do it, and the wolves have seen the Volturi and their numbers. They don't want to fight this just yet. They are going to find more tribes and see if they can collect large enough numbers to go to Volterra." She gulped. "They want to end this reign."

On the day of the change, Ben took her to the airport, where Bella and Jacob picked her up. Bella asked that no one come with her to the airport. She said she needed to be alone with Angela. Bella had held me very tight before she left.

"I'm so scared," she said.

"You will do fine, love" I whispered back to her. I prayed that I was right.

I was with Renesmee and the rest of my family in the large house when we heard faint sounds of Bella and Jacob returning to our cottage With Angela in tow.

I couldn't read Jacob or Angela's thoughts. Bella must have been nervous. Her shield pops up when she gets really scared.

We couldn't hear much from the house, but we did hear Angela's screams.

We heard Jacob yelling. "Bella? Bella! Stop!"

We heard lots of thrashing and bangs.

Suddenly, everything fell silent.

My heart broke when I heard Bella's heart breaking scream.

She hadn't succeeded.

She had killed her friend.

She came running faster than I had ever seen into the house. She hit me with such force that I flew back, but Alice pushed the couch forward so that we landed on it.

Bella sobbed into my chest.

"I killed her. I killed her," she muttered.

I soothed her hair; I had no idea what else to do.

She took wild gasps of air into her mouth, and croaked out a few words in between sobs.

"Jacob's taking... care... of her... body." She sobbed.

She refused to look up at me, her eyes a bright red. I held her close.

"Bella, I love you, don't ever forget that."

She nodded into my chest. "We... need to go... to Volterra, and tell... them what they want... to hear."

I picked her up and carried her to my car.


	12. Show

EPOV

I was attacked with my families thoughts as I carried Bella to the car.

_I'm so sorry, Edward. It's good she has you. It's good Ben has Marie. _Esme thought.

Carlisle's, Rosalie's and Jasper's thoughts followed the same idea.

_I don't understand how Jacob couldn't stop her. She must be very strong still. _Emmett thought. He was also upset by the loss of Angela. He never thought it possible for Bella to fail.

_I can't believe she's gone. I never should have let that mutt be in that room, I could have seen. I can't even see her whole funeral. Filthy dog. _Alice was upset, because she could no longer see a future with Angela in it.

Bella shivered in the front seat. She turned away from me, and closed her eyes. I figured she didn't want me to see her.

We got to the airport, and Bella remained silent while I made the flight arrangements.

She remained silent for the entire trip, actually. She was destroying herself.

She went to the bathroom every few hours to put in new contacts, although I could still see the red shine through under the brown. She didn't say one word. We arrived to Italy and I rented a car. Again, I had to help place Bella in the front seat. She wasn't really moving, I assumed she was coming to terms with what had happened. She was probably deciding what to tell the Volturi. We drove in silence until we reached the city gates. I shuddered as I remembered the last reason Bella, and myself, were here.

"What will they want to know?" Bella asked. Her arms were wrapped around her chest, as if she was trying to hold herself together.

I sighed and grabbed her hand. "They will want to know what happened. They will ask why Angela is not with you, Aro might try to read your thoughts, but your shield is still shaky, especially when you are emotional. He can read mine."

"You heard." Bella was cold. She put up a wall, to cover her emotions.

"Yes, I heard it. That's all Aro will need to see."

She nodded and closed her eyes again. She had gone to the restroom at the airport exit to take out her brown contacts. Her red eyes shone very bright. Aro couldn't deny that Bella had taken blood from a human.

"I'm a monster." She cried out.

"No, Bella, No. You're not a monster. How could you be? Think of all you did to save Angela. you fought for her, let her have her baby. That fate was better than becoming a vampire."

"It didn't have to be her fate. If I would have listened to you in that stupid mall, she never would have had to worry about it. Her and Ben would be in some little apartment, cuddling their brand new baby. I'm a murderer."

"Bella, I-"

"Don't try to make me feel better, Edward. Let me feel this. I need to feel this."

I grabbed her hand. "I love you, Bella." I kissed her knuckles, and then the ring that adorned her third finger.

"I love you, too." she replied.

Again, the rest of the ride was silent.

All too soon, we pulled up to the tower that housed the Volturi. We walked inside, and found our way to the lobby.

Bella held my hand so tightly that it hurt.

"Gianna's not here." she whispered when we reached the front desk.

"No. She's not."

Jane was sitting behind the desk instead. "How can I help you two, Bella, Edward?"

I was going to speak, but Bella did that for me.

"We are here to see Aro concerning Angela."

Jane nodded and opened the door that led to the small stone pathway.

Bella gasped when she smelt the same thing that I had smelt the last time we were here. She smelt the human blood. She smelt the people that had walked through this dungeon just days earlier. I knew how vivid everything would seem to her. How different all of this would seem from her last trip.

I gripped her hand tighter.

We walked for quite a while before Jane picked up the pace. We ran down the hall, and reached the main corridor much faster. The smell was more pungent once we entered the circle room. Bella pretended to be rubbing her face, but I could tell she was plugging her nose. The smell was to much for her. She knew to well the smell of freshly spilt human blood now.

"The smell brings back memories, Edward." She muttered. She turned to me, and hugged me tight. She buried her head in my shoulder and inhaled a long breath.

We stood in the room for a few minutes. Bella and I had been left by Jane, leaving us with several vampires who I recognized from the clearing. I stared at the drains in the center of the room.

Eventually, we heard footsteps approaching from the other side of a large door. Aro's thoughts rang clear through the rest.

_Jane says she has red eyes. It would be so unfortunate if Bella killed her friend. However, the Cullen's have enough newborns to deal with. I suppose it's for the best. I find it odd how closely they get attached to these silly humans._

I nearly growled at Aro's thoughts. He truly didn't care if Bella had killed her dear friend. He just wanted her dealt with.

The large door made a large bang when it opened. Even though she should have been expecting it, Bella jumped at the loud noise. I put my hand on the small of her back, and she pulled in one more large breath before pulling away from our embrace.

"That's such a pretty picture." Aro said. "But where is young Angela?"

Bella brought her head up and looked Aro in the eyes.

"Hello, Bella. Your eyes seem to tell me all I need to know." Aro said in a sickly sweet voice.

Bella didn't speak. She looked back down quickly, ashamed of the blood swirling beneath her irises. We all remained silent for a small amount of time.

"I'm afraid I am going to have to ask you to tell me what happened." Aro stated plain-as-day.

Bella's head snapped up. "You know what happened! I killed my friend! That's what happened! I bit in and- and... it was the best thing that I have ever tasted! I fought it, Aro. I fought it every second! I was begging myself to stop, but I couldn't! I couldn't let her go. I didn't care that she was screaming and thrashing, I couldn't stop! It's your fault! Her husband has to raise their child by himself, and we have to fake her death in some plane crash!" She was screaming. Her hands were clenched into tight fists at her sides. I held one of her wrists; afraid she would take a step towards Aro.

Aro looked taken aback. "Dear Bella. I am truly sorry for your loss. However, I am afraid that your eyes are not quite enough to convince me. I need to read your thoughts. Is that possible?"

Bella looked to him, cold. "It only works when I'm not emotional. That's why I brought Edward. He read every one's mind. You can read his."

Aro looked to me and held out his hand. I wearily touched his translucent skin with my own palm.

It was dizzying, hearing my own thoughts, as well as all the other thoughts I have heard, through Aro's thoughts. I could hear him sifting through the memories. He heard what I heard. The screaming, and the thrashing. He saw what Alice saw, a future with no Angela. He felt Esme's loss when she knew her daughter had failed.

He slowly pulled his hand back, and with a more somber face, apologized again.

"I am truly sorry for your loss. You may return to Forks, but I may suggest that you leave the town soon. Too many people know you there."

I looked to Aro, angry, and spoke. "Remember our deal, Aro. No more visits. No more interruptions. You are no longer friends to us. We will leave in peace. Goodbye, Aro."

I put my arm around Bella's waist and walked her back through the tunnel. This time, she plugged her nose.

"It's disgusting," she muttered.

Bella was just as silent on the ride home. She put her brown contacts in again, but she seemed annoyed by this fact. I assumed it was because I could still see the red through them.

The flight went by quickly. I was thinking back to the flight home from Italy the last time Bella and I had been here. I remembered my mindset well. The last flight had gone much to fast. I was horrified of what awaited me at home. Bella leaving me, saying she had moved on. She was horrified, too. She was afraid I would thank her, and be on my merry way. Now we were both scared to return to the same thing. Planning Angela's funeral. Bella kept her eyes closed for most of the flight.

When we landed, she looked to me, but the brown contacts had faded away. Now the red shown again; the constant reminder of her slip.

We drove home in silence, and Bella took my hand.

"It's going to be okay." she said. I looked to her, my eyebrows knitted. Wasn't I the one supposed to say that to her?

We pulled up to the main house and I opened her door and grabbed her hand.

"Of course it is." I agreed.

We walked up the front porch, and to my surprise I heard laughter coming from the main living room. We walked to the living room, and everyone fell silent. What could be so funny at a time like this?

I heard the fridge shut, and a familiar voice speak out.

"I hope you guys don't mind me staying another day. My flight doesn't get back in town until tomorrow, you know." My head cocked to the side. I must be hearing things. Bella smiled at me.

At that moment, I saw someone round the corner. They held a glass of milk in their hands, and around one arm, was a heavy bandage. Bella squeezed my hand tight. "Sorry about that." I heard her mutter.

"Angela?" I asked.


	13. Savior

Bella POV

It was the day before the change, and Jake was in the passenger seat of the Corvette. Jake didn't know why he was in the car with me. He didn't even know where we were going.

He fiddled with the radio and air conditioner. He rolled the windows up and down. He was in a good mood.

We hadn't told him that we would have to change Angela, and I wasn't ready to lose the light mood just yet.

"You know, Jacob, if you stick your head out the window and loll your tongue out, you really would look like a dog. At least then I could call you mutt with reason. It could be a good nick name for you." I laughed.

He looked at me with a bitter expression.

"Oh, don't give me any crap about it, Jake. You named my daughter after the Loch Ness Monster, I can call you what ever I want."

Finally, Jacob laughed. He patted my shoulder and left the window down.

"Where are we going, Bella? I assume it's not for ice cream."

"We're going to get you fixed." I joked.

"Where?" Jacob persisted.

I sighed and pulled over on the side of the road.  
"Get out of the car, Jacob."

"What? Why? You have to tell me what's happening! You can't just leave me here!"

"I'm getting out of the car, too, stupid. I just don't want you phasing anywhere near it. We waste enough money fixing Emmett's Jeep every three weeks."

"I am in control of my phasing." Jacob said, but he stepped out of my car anyway.

"Look, Jake, don't interrupt what I am saying- because you need to hear all of it. What I am about to tell you is important. Don't overreact; don't cut me off. Don't get angry. We can try to fix this. Promise?"

Jacob huffed. "Fine, I promise." he said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Tomorrow, you and I are going to get Angela from the airport." I said. I didn't want to bombard him all at once.

"Isn't that the day Ben drops her off? For that exchange program or whatever?" He asked.

"That's just the cover story, Jake."

"What are you talking about, Bella?"

I took a deep breath. "Jacob, do you remember about nine months ago, when the Volturi chased Angela and I around the country?"

"I wouldn't forget that kind of thing, Bells." He said, instantly serious. He walked away from me, facing the clouds in the distance.

"There was more to it than we told you."

Jacob's head snapped to my face so quickly I heard his neck pop in several places.

"What don't I know?"

"Ok. When we went to Salt Lake to pick Angela up, we were too late. The Volturi came and found her before we did. We just barely stopped them from killing her on the spot. They demanded that _I _be the one to kill her, but I refused. I told them Angela was pregnant. Jacob, they are forcing me to change her. Tomorrow."

"What!? Does she know what she is getting in to!? You know this means war!"

"Jacob! Listen to me! I told you not to interrupt. I said that I was thinking of a plan. There is a reason I want you with me. Alice can't see anyone's future if you are around them. She can't see _Angela's _future when you are around."

"Why are you just telling me all this now?" I could hear his irritation.

"I couldn't let Edward read your mind. He is going to have to go with me to Volterra."

"Why does he have to go with you?"

"He is going to have to prove that I killed Angela, since I will be a wreck and unable to let Aro read my mind."

"Bella, I can't let you kill Angela. I can't. I'd have to fight your family."

"Don't be stupid, Jacob. I would _never_ kill Angela. However, I really only see two options for Angela at this point, becoming a vampire, or death. We were planning to fake her death anyway; maybe we could convince the Volturi I was too young to change anyone. We could trick them into thinking I killed Angela. I ordered some red contacts, I will put those in and do one hell of an acting job."

"You know you can't act Bella! I can't let you near her!" Jacob roared.

"SHUT UP JAKE! If we don't go the Volturi, they will come here, Jake. They will punish all of us for not changing her. Do you want that? We would be putting Renesmee in danger _again!_"

"When you say they would punish us..."

"I mean anyone that could have changed Angela or anyone who stopped us from changing Angela will be killed. The only reason they let Renesmee live is because there are people around to fight for her. If we weren't here anymore..."

Jacob swallowed.

"Exactly." I replied, even though he made no attempt at speech.

"They ran away last time." He mumbled.

"We had almost 50 vampires backing us last time."

"Plus us." Jacob agreed.

"Get in the car. If I speed, Edward won't wonder what took so long."

"Weren't you speeding before we stopped?" Jacob laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

We got in the car and I drove Jake back to La Push.  
"You can't come over until I pick you up tomorrow. Don't go near Edward. Understood?

"I can't see Nessie?" He asked pitifully.

"No. Go home, Jake" I smiled at him.

The next morning, I picked Jacob up on the outskirts of La Push.

I tossed Jacob the package of red contacts that I had ordered.

"Put in a pair of these. I need to see if they look real."

Much to my despair, any vampire could tell how fake Jacob's red eyes were.

The contacts were not going to work. I would have to turn my eyes red some other way.

I would have to ingest human blood.

We arrived to the airport just at Ben was leaving. Angela was sitting on a bench holding a small duffle bag.

She was a little teary, but she had accepted her fate.

"Do you need help to the car, honey?" I asked her.

"Yes please. I'm still a little sore." I helped her up and walked her to the car. Jacob grabbed her bag and placed it in the trunk.

On the way to the cabin, we began planning.

"Angela, I had a pretty shabby plan, but I have run into a major problem."

"What else?" Jacob asked, exasperated.

"I was going to claim I had killed Angela, but I have to have red eyes. They won't believe me for a second if I don't have red eyes."

"How do you get red eyes?" Jacob asked, weary.

"By ingesting human blood." I sighed.

Jacob's eyes grew wide.

"My blood won't work, will it." He said, resigned.

"You're not technically human."

"And you don't have any of that human blood around, now that Nessie hunts on her own."

"No."

"You have to bite Angela." Jacob was monotone. Disappointed.

"I think so." I replied curtly.

We pulled up to the edge of the forest, and I picked up Angela and ran with her to the cabin. She handled the running much better than I did as a human.

"You can't think of any way to stop this." Angela said.

"No, Angela. There is no way to convince anyone you are dead if I don't have red eyes. The only way I can get red eyes is by taking in your blood. I can't risk that. It would be much to likely I couldn't stop."

Angela nodded. "Well, let's get this over with, then."

Jacob spoke up. "Wait! You're changing her already? Didn't you have morphine or something when you changed Bella?"

I looked at him with saddened eyes. "The morphine didn't help, Jacob. It made it worse. I couldn't move."

"You never told us that." Jacob said, taken aback.

"I didn't want Edward to feel bad. And Carlisle thought I wasn't in pain." I shivered at the memory.

"So can we get this over with?" Angela asked.

"Yes. Let's go." I said. I led Angela into our bedroom, and laid her down on the top of the bed. "I am so sorry for this Angela." I said, nearly sobbing tearlessly again.

"It's okay, Bella. You gave me nine more months. You gave me a chance to make sure Ben will always have a girl to love him."

I nodded, and took Angela's pale wrist in my hand. I could feel the pulse point moving beneath my palm. Flames burst in my throat as I thought of what I was about to do. I felt venom pool in my mouth.

I looked to Jacob. "Fight me off if I bite her for more than 15 seconds."

He nodded. "I can't believe I am letting you do this."

I closed my eyes and took one more deep breath. That was a bad idea. The flames in my throat grew even more prominent.

I pulled her wrist up to my arm and put my mouth up to her skin. Her blood called to me. Slowly, unsurely, I opened my mouth and bit into her pulse point. I began to change Angela. I was careful not to take any blood. I just filled her with as much venom as I could.

Her screams were awful. Jacob placed his hands on her shoulders as she thrashed.

I managed to inject venom with out taking any blood. That made it much easier to pull away.

I sat down, Jacob behind me, and watched Angela for about ten seconds.

"I can't do this!" I whispered. "I can't let this happen to her!"

"Why are you whispering?"

"I am going to suck the venom back out Jacob. I can't let her change. We will have to fight the Volturi, I can't let her become a vampire."

Jacob nodded.

"Yell at me. Hit me. Do anything you need to make sure I stop. I have to keep sucking until I feel her blood is clean, but you have to make sure I stop."

Jacob nodded again. His face was white.

"I am so sorry, Angela."

I took her wrist back in my hand. At first, she screamed even harder when I bit in. She yelled and yelled.

I began to drain her blood. It didn't taste as sweet as I had imagined, because it was tainted with my venom. I was thankful for that.

I pulled her blood slowly, analyzing it. My throat was on fire, begging for more, but I fought it with everything I had. Eventually, I felt the venom leave her blood. She became irresistibly sweet. I knew I needed to stop. In the back of my head, I knew. My body was unstoppable. I pounded my feet on the ground, trying to alert Jacob to stop me.

"Bella?" He whispered. I pounded my feet more. He caught on quickly.

"Stop! Bella!" He screamed. It didn't stop me. He ran at me and hit me from the side. I felt my teeth separate from her body. I felt them tear the flesh as they left. I hit a wall and landed on a table, smashing it in half. That brought my train of thought away from Angela's blood. Angela screamed one final time before she fell silent. Jacob was covering her mouth.

"Don't scream." He whispered to her. "We need everyone to think you are dead."

She fell silent. Her eyes were blurry, tears slipped from them at an alarming rate.

"Bella, your eyes- they are _so _red." Jacob whispered.

I looked quickly to a mirror, and saw that I had taken enough of Angela's blood to turn my eyes red. They would stay this color for a few days, maybe a few weeks.

I looked to Jacob. "Keep her here until you hear me and Edward leave. Then take her to the house. She needs to see Carlisle. She will probably need a blood transfusion. I had to take a lot of blood to get the venom out."

He nodded. I looked in the mirror one more time.

And then, I screamed. I screamed to get out all of my frustrations. I screamed, remembering the time Edward had left me. I put myself back into that mindset. I allowed the hole to rip back open, and I screamed.

Then, I ran.


	14. Satisfy

The look on Edward's face was priceless. I had never seen him look so confused.

He looked to me, his eyebrows a tight knot on his forehead. "I know I'm not crazy." He said aloud.

I laughed, but he didn't join me.

"I'm wanting to know how exactly Angela is alive, as well." Alice added in. She looked frustrated. She would be angry with me for keeping the future from her.

"Perhaps I should explain some things" I said, apologetic for my deception

Edward glared at me. "You think?"

I laughed. "You would know." Emmett laughed, but Edward grabbed my waist and yanked me on to the couch, so that I landed on his lap. I squealed with surprise, even though I knew what was happening every millisecond.

So I told them my story.

I told them of the moments of desperation, when I thought there was no other option than changing Angela, because the contacts wouldn't work like I'd hoped. I told them of biting Angela, letting the venom take over her arm. I told them of my instant regret, and my decision to fight the Volturi for Angela's humanity. I told them of the convenience of my eyes turning bright red just by sucking back the venom. I heard a few of them gasp when I spoke of not being able to stop. Edward unconsciously gripped me tighter when I told of how Jacob sent me flying.

"Carlisle, how is Angela's arm? I saw that I left quite a gash when I ran off. Did you have to give her a blood transfusion? Did I take to much?" Most of my worries had been silenced when I saw Angela walk into the room, but now that she was eating in the kitchen, they rose back to the surface with force.

"Her arm is fine, I had to glue it, because for some reason, my stitching needle wouldn't pierce the skin around the wound. I'm sure you know why that is. The scar James left on you was very similar. It was cold, wasn't it?"

I laughed a little. At least part of Angela was not indestructible. "Yes, it was much colder than the rest of me." I confirmed Carlisle's theory.

"I assume that arm will be a little bit stronger, too. The wound should heal up well, though. I did have to give her one small blood transfusion, but she handled it fine. If you wanted to turn your eyes red, why didn't you just come to me? I could have gotten you blood from the bank like we did when you were pregnant."

"I couldn't let anyone know about this. I knew if I killed Angela, Edward would come with me to Volterra. There would be no way to go alone, because Aro couldn't read my mind, and Edward could show Aro every one else's thoughts. Prove it happened. If I asked you for blood, or if you were even suspicious, Edward would have passed it on to Aro. I needed him to help prove my case."

"Jacob had blood." Emmett muttered.

"Yes, he does. But I remembered Carlisle saying that Jacob had an extra chromosome, and I didn't know if that would affect me. He also isn't technically human. Maybe his blood wouldn't turn my eyes. I didn't want to risk it. Plus, he really stinks." Edward laughed at that.

"So you had Jacob with you so that I couldn't see the future?" Alice asked me.

"Yes, I couldn't let any one of you think that Angela had lived. So Jacob stayed with her in the cabin until Edward and I were in Seattle. I knew that the rest of you would start planning a funeral before I got back, so you had to know the truth as soon as Edward and I were far enough away. That's why I didn't want you to tell Ben, either. He didn't need to go through that pain if he didn't have to."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Oh no! Your pants! They're ruined!" Alice yelled as she ran into the kitchen.

All of my family looked to Alice's fleeting form when we heard a crash in the kitchen. "Frick." we heard Angela mutter. "Stupid cast thing." she continued.

Esme stood. "Let me clean that up dear! You don't worry about it!" She ran off to the kitchen.

The crash woke Renesmee, who was upstairs, and Rosalie ran up to calm her. Emmett followed diligently.

Jasper and Carlisle sat on the couch for a moment, but dismissed themselves when Edward turned my head so that I was looking into his golden eyes. "You are amazing," he whispered before he kissed me passionately. When he pulled me away, he laughed a little.

"What's so funny, Mr. Cullen?" I asked.

"I'm just wondering when you learned to act."

"I wasn't pretending, Edward." I said, a little more serious.

"I know. How- Bella, you looked like you were in such pain. How did you manage that? How did you look so sad?"

I sighed as I remembered exactly how I managed to feel so depressed. "I allowed myself to remember a time that truly made me feel like my world was going to end." I looked to his eyes, hoping he would understand. I knew that it hurt him to think of how he left me; broken.

"None of it was acting? The way you wrapped your arms around yourself? It was like you were holding yourself together."

I nodded. "I was holding myself together. I had to."

Edward brought my lips back to his.

"I have never been more glad that you lied to me." He said in between kisses.

"I love you." I said to him.

"I love you, too." He replied.

Soon, Renesmee came flying down the stairs, and cuddled herself in between us.  
Edward and I held hands around her back, kissing above her head when she wasn't looking.  
"Angela and Ben get to have this because of you, Bella." He whispered in my ear. "You are a wonderful being."

All I could do was smile.


	15. Stories

"Come on, Angela. We need to get you home to Ben." I said, waking her early the next morning.

She jumped out of the bed and ran into the bathroom. The door slammed.

"Oh, God. Your not pregnant again, are you?" I joked.

She laughed. "No." She yelled over the running water. "I'm just ready to see Ben."

"Don't get your cast wet!" I yelled back. I trembled knowing that _I _had been the reason for that cast.

He knew. He could hear the small tremble in my voice, and his arms found their way around my waist. He pulled me up against him, so that my back pressed into his chest, and his chin rested on my shoulder. He turned his head into my hair, and whispered into my ear.

"You saved her. With out you, she would be gone by now." His breath blew across my neck. I nuzzled into the feeling. He laughed. "I know how you feel, Bella. I know _exactly _how you feel. To have to bite someone you care about. To have to suck the venom back. I know how you feel now, when you think back to that short moment."

He was right, of course. I thought I was a monster for what I had done. I knew that I hadn't killed Angela, but it scared me how close I came. If Jacob hadn't been there...

I shuddered again. Edward hugged me tighter. "Don't." He whispered.

I spun around and kissed him. I lost track of time, well, of everything, when I was with Edward. It wasn't until I felt the small tap on my back that I broke away from him.

Angela stood there in a robe, the bread bag still around her arm, tapping her foot.

"Goodness! Could you guys stop sucking face long enough to help me get dressed?" She asked, but giggled soon after.

I ushered her into my closet to help her dress. "I'm so depressed that I still have to wear maternity clothes." she said as I helped button her pants.

"Don't be." I told her. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, Bella."

"You're welcome." I smiled at her.

"No. Thank you, for everything, Bella. Thank you for rushing me all over the country, thank you for fighting for me. Thank you for staying with me for my whole pregnancy. Thank you for keeping me human."

I hugged her softly. I'm sure it still felt tight to her. "I feel guilty, Angela. I so wish that your arm was okay. I need to get Alice to think of a cover story for us, actually."

Angela laughed. "Don't worry about my arm. I could probably use the extra strength that Carlisle was telling me about."

"For?" I questioned in a joking manner.

"Well, you didn't hear this from me," Angela stated, walking closer and began whispering, "but I like to do a little boxing on the side. Fight club, you know." She laughed at her own joke. "No, but I will probably will need the strength to help shake baby bottles."

After Angela was dressed, I ran her to the main house to find Alice. I put my hand up to knock on the door.

"Come in." Alice's voice rang before I had even knocked.

Alice was lying on her stomach across her bed, flipping through some fashion magazine.

"I assume you know why we're here." I laughed. "We need an excuse."

Alice smiled at me, and patted her bed. We walked over, and the three of us sat cross-legged on her bed.

"We're going to show up at your house, all of us, just before Ben leaves to pick you up. He'll wonder why you're not at the airport, of course, but it will work out. You'll tell him that you hated that silly country, and that you caught an earlier flight home. You were getting your baggage off the conveyer belt when your arm got caught, and it sliced open. You called Carlisle, and he stitched you up. He put a cast on, as a precaution. That break is little; he can take the cast off in a week. If you'll come back to see us."

Angela giggled. "You haven't scared me off." She told us.

I sighed in relief. I hadn't _really _thought that Angela would be scared of us, but I was unsure how willing she would be to come back.

"Ben still wonders about you, you know." Alice said, looking to me. "He can't figure out what changed you so much."

I looked to Alice. "He can wonder as long as he wants, he's not going to figure it out," she smiled.

"When do we get to leave?" Angela asked.

"Well, if we drive Edward speed, in about thirty minutes. If we drive normal speed, we need to leave in about five."

"I'd like to drive like a human, please." Angela asked, her face a little whiter. I laughed.

"Let me go grab your bags." I said.

I ran back to our lovely home. I stepped into the cottage and took a deep breath. The sent of Angela's blood still lingered in the air. The table I had landed on the other day had been cleaned while I was gone, but had not yet been replaced. The bed was still ruffled from where Angela had slept. It was funny to me, how she had only been here two days, but she had changed so much in my home. When we got a new table to fill the spot of the shattered old one, I would think of Angela every time I saw it. I would think back to drawing from Angela. I was sure that memory would always be vivid in my mind. I turned from the bedroom, and grabbed the small bag Angela had taken with her to the airport. To my surprise, Edward was standing five feet behind me, silent, watching me.

"I didn't hear you come in." I said, startled.

"I didn't want to disturb you," he smiled his crooked smile. "You seemed to be deep in thought, not that I would know."

"I was just thinking about how different Angela has made this house. I won't ever forget this. Forget her."

"No, you won't. That's why it's so hard to have human friends. You know your time with them is limited."

"How long do you think we can stay in Forks?" I asked him.

"Maybe another year or two. We won't be able to go out. People think we are at Dartmouth, still."

"Ben doesn't think that." I smiled. "Maybe he'll spread the word that we're back home."

Edward's smile grew more pronounced. He lurched forward and kissed me.

"Maybe he will. Then I could finally wine and dine my wife like I want to."

I laughed. "Were you planning on taking me out to eat?" I asked.

"I have a few things in mind."

I looked at the clock, but cringed when I saw the red eyes in the reflection. All the work it had taken to get rid of those eyes. The months of waiting - gone.

"Let me grab some contacts, and we can meet Angela back at the main house, okay?"

He nodded and pushed me off towards the bathroom.

Once again, the imperfections in the contacts bothered me. _Is this really the best they can come up with? _I asked myself. I could tell they were fake, even thought a human might not tell the difference, a vampire surely could.  
"Just a few weeks, love. You didn't take a lot of blood, and feeding will help," Edward said from the doorway of the bathroom when he saw my frustration with the contacts.

"Ben!" Angela screamed when we pulled up to the front of the house. She ran up to him. He was trying, with great difficulty, to lock the door while holding baby Marie in his other arm. Angela hugged him as tight as she could without squishing the squirming bundle in between them. He kissed the top of her head, and pulled back from her.

"I was just coming to pick you up." He looked at her with his head tilted.

"I took an earlier flight. I hated Europe," she said. I cringed back.

"You went to England." Ben stated.

"Oh. Right, duh. I hated it there, Ben. We're staying here."

Ben grinned and nodded, accepting her lie. Angela launched into her tale of England. She talked about how she hated it, and coming home earlier. She told the tale of her arm, a victim of the baggage claim, and of Carlisle's amazing stitching skills.

She turned to us after she had told Ben her story.

"Would you guys like to come in for a little?"

I looked to Edward, Alice, and my other brothers and sisters, who had all come to bid farewell to Angela. Esme and Carlisle stayed home with Renesmee.

They all nodded, and we followed the couple into their home.

Marie stirred, and Angela took her into her arms. The baby settled immediately.

"She missed you." Ben said. Angela smiled.

Once Marie was fast asleep in her mother's arms, we all began talking. We told stories, relived our days at Forks High School, and listened to Ben's silly tales of Isle Esme.

We were all sitting there, enjoying ourselves, when everything seemed to enter slow motion.

It seemed like I couldn't hear anything anymore. I looked around, and saw everyone smiling, laughing at some stupid story Emmett had told. I saw Ben, his head back and tears of laughter in his eyes. I saw Alice, her hands over her mouth. I looked to Angela, who was giggling, but looking intently at the small baby in her arms. I lastly looked to Edward, who was looking at me, his crooked smile full blown.

I thought of the last nine months. I thought of Angela, and her instant recognition of who I was. I thought of the terror, the joy, the tears and the laughter.

And finally, I too, smiled.


	16. Epilogue: Service

_Sixty to Seventy Years Later_

The service was beautiful. I hadn't been to many funerals in my existence, but this one had to be the most meaningful of any I had ever been to. Charlie's funeral was the only one I had actually attended. I had to watch Renee's from a distance, in the shade, but I still heard every word and saw every movement.

Angela's was different. No one in Forks would recognize me now. I could go up to her coffin. I could whisper to her, like every other person who came to mourn her loss. I couldn't cry, but I didn't really want to. Not this moment.

She looked happy, peaceful. She wore a soft blue knee length dress that showed off her one arm that looked a few years younger than the rest of her body. A white scar rested at her wrist. I stroked the mark, but I couldn't tell if it was any colder than the rest of her lifeless form.

I looked at the guests surrounding the plot of land. All dressed in black. I recognized a few of the faces from pictures Angela had shown me on several of our "girl getaways". We met up any time Ben had a few extra days off to watch the kids.

"_So there is Marie. Behind her is Matthew. Melissa is next to him. She's our youngest." _Angela explained to me smiling as she pointed to child after child. Marie was a spitting image of a younger Angela. They could pass as clones.

"_Oh, dear."_ Angela readjusted herself, so that her large belly rested in a more comfortable position. _"I swear. He moves more than any of the others did. I have never been this big for any of my pregnancies, either. Mason is a big boy, I guess." _I smiled, and held my tongue. I didn't tell Angela that I could hear _two _heartbeats coming from her belly. She would find out soon enough.

"_Mason?" _I asked her, smiling.

"_I remember our last visit, when you told me that Edward's old last name was Mason. It sounded like a good boy's name, kept the 'M' theme we had going, and it's another child I can name after your family." _She smiled.

That was a hard visit to end. I knew I wouldn't be able to see Angela for a while; she would have the twins to take care of, plus her three other children.

I got an e-mail from her a few months later. "_Twins!" _It said. _"Meet Mason, our newest little boy, and Mia, our sweet little girl. Her name means 'wished for child'. I think we were wishing for her, we just didn't know we were going to get her!"_ Angela had written. Attached was a picture of Angela, looking just like after she gave birth to Marie, holding two soft bundles, one in blue, and one in pink. I was glad for her, but I didn't get to see her for two years after that.

Angela had died in her sleep, just like Ben had three years earlier. I remembered Angela staying at our home in Iowa for nearly a month before she moved back to the home we bought her in Forks. I hadn't been back to that home since Marie was two. I never met any of her siblings, but I could pick them out in the crowd.

After the funeral was over, I approached Marie.

"I know you probably have a lot to do back at you mother's home. I was a friend of hers, and I would love to help you with anything you need."

Marie, somewhere in her late fifties or early sixties, gave me a soft smile. "I could really use a babysitter. My grandkids are all under 5, how are you with babies?" She smiled. I looked to Rose, who had heard our conversation.

"I think I have someone who would love to do that." I smiled.

Marie allowed me to help pack up all of Angela's things. The house looked so different than when I had left it sixty years earlier. Several rooms had been added on to the back, all in varying shades of pink and blue. There were pictures of Ben and Angela. There were many pictures of Angela's children, grandchildren, and of her three great-grandchildren. There was one picture with the whole family, Ben included, missing two of the great-grandkids. I did notice that the girl who looked much like Marie had a swollen belly in the picture. Messy finger paintings covered the walls and the fridge.

Marie was digging through the many pictures on the mantle place when she gasped.

"What?" I asked, looking up from the dusty frame.

"I found one of Mom right after she had me. The girl she is with, she looks _just _like you." Marie said. She handed me the picture of Angela and I, our arms holding baby Marie. It was taken the day Angela came back home from 'England'.

"That's my mother." I lied.

"How old was your mother when she had you?" Marie asked. I had to lie, again. I quickly tried doing math in my head.

"Forty-five. Maybe. I can't quite remember. I am the baby. She died about two years ago."

"I'm sorry for your loss." She said, and went back to the fireplace.

I quickly took the picture out of the frame and tucked it into my bag. I knew exactly where that picture was going to sit.

It would preside on the table in our bedroom in the cottage. The table that had to replace the one I smashed six decades ago when I almost killed Angela.

After 60 years, we were finally moving back to Forks. We were finally coming back home.


	17. Recognition: Question and Answer

Hey guys! So if you are reading this- I want you to know that I have redone a lot of the story. I really changed up the last few chapters. I was so excited to get them out the first time around, I didn't really take the time to develop the plot. So I rewrote chapters 10-15 and fixed or changed at least five things in every chapter. I think you might like to read the new ending!

You also might like some of my other stories! I have one other drama, called _The Babysitters, _and two comedies; _The Joker _and _Chicago._

Love Ya'll!  
TayBee

These were my most popular questions. :D

**Why couldn't Alice see Edward and Bella at the mall? Why didn't she see them finding Angela?**

Edward and Bella wanted to get away with their baby. They knew Alice would take it to far if she came shopping with them, and that she would never let them go alone. So they took Jacob to the mall, so Alice couldn't see them also had Renesmee in the mall, so it made it even more difficult for her to see. Also keep in mind that Edward and Bella left their phones at home so if Alice _did _find out where they were, she couldn't bug them.

**Why didn't Edward "hear" Aro in his house? How could he let Angela walk in there?**

Edward and Bella were terrified of Angela's suspicions. Bella told Edward to focus only on Angela's mind. He was.

**Why did you have to torture us with chapter 11? Why couldn't we see it from Bella's perspective first, and **_**then **_**Edward's?"**

For five minutes, before you rethought all of the clues I slipped into the authors notes, didn't you really think Angela was dead? You see, I had to convince _you _that Angela was dead so to story would be more realistic. If I could fool _you _into thinking she was dead, isn't it more believable that the Cullens and the Volturi could fall for the same trick?

When you see things from Edward's point of view; you see how easily one can assume Angela is dead.

**Why did Angela have to stay human? Why couldn't she become a vampire?**

Angela was not born to be a vampire, like Bella was. Unlike Bella, the love of Angela's life is human. Together, Angela and Ben can have human children. They can grow old together. Lead happy human lives together. Bella never had that option. She was going to grow old, but never with Edward. So she made the change. It was her best option. And, like Breaking Dawn says, it was Bella's destiny to be a vampire. That was never Angela's destiny. Apparently, her destiny was to have five children with Ben.

**Why are all of your chapters named with an "s"? **

The same reason Angela named all of her children with an 'M'. Similarity is comfortable. I just couldn't change the letter after two 'S' chapters in a row.

**What do all of your chapter names mean?**

Ch 1: Spotted: Obviously- this is the chapter where Angela spot Edward and Bella. She spots the relation between Bella and Nessie.

Ch 2: Shock-wave: Pretty much, the results of the earthquake. Bella is in shock that Angela could figure it out so quickly. She reacts quickly, much like a shock-wave.

Ch 3: Speak: This is a silent chapter. There is really no dialogue spoken to let Angela know she is in danger. She just knows. She doesn't need to speak.

Ch 4: Secrets: Angela doesn't figure out what Bella is, but she does find out that they are secret, and that they have secrets, too. Angela also has a secret, she's pregnant.

Ch 5: Situate: Angela gets situated in New York. She gets new clothes and such, and she decides to see a doctor to get her pregnancy situated.

Ch 6: Scrutiny: Angela gets her baby looked at by the best Dr. in NYC. Also, Alec and Jane are observant. With scrutiny, they find out Angela's location.

Ch 7: Seclusion: Bella and Angela have never been more alone. On the run, again. They have to seclude themselves yet again.

Ch 8: Shopping: Obviously- Bella and Angela are shopping.

Ch 9: Surrender: Bella and the Cullens have to surrender to the Volturi's will.

Ch 10: Strategy: Bella and Angela try to find a way out of Angela's fate. Bella begins coming up with strategies.

Ch 11: Sacrifice: Well, Angela thought she was sacrificing herself, Bella was sacrificing Angela, and I was sacrificing MYSELF by posting this chapter. I almost titled it "Sorry" instead, just because I was sorry for writing it that way, but it had to be done.

Ch 12: Show: This is another one with a double meaning. Bella and Edward literally 'show' the Voulturi what happened to Angela. Bella's eyes tell the whole story. But Bella is also putting on a show. One for Edward, the Cullens, and the Volturi.

Ch 13: Savior: Bella becomes Angela's savior in more than one way. She saves her from the Volturi, but she also saves Angela from becoming a vampire.

Ch 14: Satisfy: This chapter was to fill in several plot wholes. Like: "How did Bella become such a good actor?" and "Why was Bella acting so strange?" I was satisfying Edward's many questions.

Ch 15: Stories: This is an ironic title. It's all based on the end of the chapter. Bella looks around Angela's living room, seeing how much fun every one is having telling stories. She looks at Angela, and realizes the greatest story Angela has, she can't tell to anyone.

Epilogue: Service: Bella and the Cullens attend Angela's funeral service. Bella provides her services to Marie.


End file.
